A Cruel Fate
by MissHanyou
Summary: He truly thought that he’d be dead by now. His human was long gone, so why was he here all these years later?
1. Chapter 1

Title: A Cruel Fate

Summary: He truly thought that he'd be dead by now. His human was long gone, so why was he here all these years later?

Rating: T+ because it's angsty.

A/N: I'm a mean person, really I am. I don't know why I thought of this fic. I was in a really grouchy mood this week, and I was trying to think of a way to throw my characters into the HTTYD universe without going all AU on you guys. So, after reading some fics that have described Toothless as immortal, I figured, hey – why not be all cruel and keep him alive after Hiccup is gone? That would just be so angsty and awesome.

Warnings: Kind of OC-heavy near the middle. If you don't like it, don't read it, or just read the first part as a one-shot. I just sent my characters to go play with Toothless. Also, there's quite a bit of angst.

Enjoy… I hope. _**And review. Nothing is more important to me than constructive criticism. Even if you didn't like it, tell me why! Maybe I can make it better, or add/take away something. **_

Chapter 1

The memory was clear as day in his mind.

He had never wanted the human boy – his rider – to go. There was an uneasy feeling in the back of his mind as he watched the boat sail away.

"It'll be alright, buddy. What could happen?" The boy had pointed out as he flashed a wide grin, his new-found self-confidence shining through.

_A thousand things could go wrong,_ thought the dragon.

And they did. It wasn't a week later that the ship returned, carrying the body of the boy. _His _boy. He had fallen off a cliff on an island not far south of Berk. _A cliff. Stupid, clumsy, fragile little human,_ thought the dragon bitterly.

In all his stubbornness, he refused to believe it until he saw the body for himself. Surely this was just some kind of cruel trick the humans were playing on him. It had to be. Pushing his way to the boat, he saw the scene that he'd been dreading the most. Two Vikings were carrying down the boy on a stretcher. He was there as soon as their feet touched the shore, sniffing at the face of his human. His skin was pale and cold, void of his usual crooked grin and warm eyes. Lifeless, he reeked of death.

No.

He would not believe it.

His nose was fooling him. His eyes were deceiving him. This had to be some sort of cruel dream. He looked around for some kind of answer from the Vikings surrounding him. Each bore identical expressions; grief, sadness, loss. Feeling a hand on his back, he whipped around, eyes wide with panic. _This can't be the end._

"I'm sorry Toothless," spoke the red-headed chieftain softly, "He's gone. We couldn't save him."

The boy's father was beside himself with grief. Somehow, the dragon sympathized with the man. How could they let him go? Even all these years later – had it really already been three years? Seemed like yesterday they were running from the Green Death – he was still the same clumsy Hiccup. The blonde girl was in hysterics, screaming to see the body of his human – she'd loved him, she really had. Even the normally noisy blonde twins were uncharacteristically silent, the male twin even going so far as to comfort his sister.

This wasn't at trick. It was real. Horribly and terribly real. He couldn't take it anymore. The noises from the humans, the smell of death surrounding them; it was too much for the dragon to take in. He had to leave, to run. Oh what he wouldn't give to fly –

Oh _Gods_.

He'd never fly again.

He let out a cry of turmoil before bolting into the nearby forest. No one bothered to stop him. They'd never be able to calm him anyways. That was a job reserved for one person, and one person only. His human. His Hiccup. And now he was gone.

Where did that leave him? He had once been a proud dragon, feared by most – if you had any brains at all – and loved by no one. Most of that had been stripped from him when he had been hit by that bola. But the boy had righted his wrong hadn't he? He had given the dragon back what he had taken from him – his flight.

And now it was gone again. No one would ever ride him like his human did. He would never let them! That saddle was reserved for only one being, and now that being would never sit there again. Ever. It seemed like a cruel joke that the Gods were playing on him. Like dangling a piece of meat in front of a starving dog, letting him have a bite, and then snatching it away again.

He let long, low cries escape his mouth. Part of him had died today. Oh how he wished the rest of him could follow suit. What was the point anyways? A dragon without flight… was no better than a common lizard. And he most definitely had more pride than a common lizard.

This was it. This was the end. The end of _everything_. His world had just shattered; destroyed with the loss of the small, delicate, soft human who had became the centre of his very universe.

The boy's funeral was held two days later. He was given a proper Viking send-off. The whole village, dragons and humans alike, were subdued. Even the weather saw fit to be miserable, bringing sleet and bone-chilling rain. The air itself tasted melancholy.

The Vikings had left to continue with their lives as best they could, leaving him on the shore, watching his human's funeral boat float away. Once again, he let out long, mournful cries, hoping somewhat in vane that by some miracle Thor, his very father, would hear him and remove him from his torture.

There was no such luck.

Life truly was cruel.

* * *

Thor never heard him. In fact, the god had seen fit to keep him alive, never allowing him to pass on.

Months had stretched into years, and years into decades, and eventually centuries had passed. He had watched the world change, seen the old ways give way to modern ways, and witnessed just how truly disgusting humans are.

And here he sat, a pathetic excuse for a dragon, a thousand years later. Humans had become distrustful of dragons once again. Or really any form of magic at all was generally scorned. But there were those who still practiced magic and made it their goal to have dragons – yes even cranky, terrible dragons like him – be comfortable and happy.

For three hundred years, he'd been shuffled around, from sanctuary to sanctuary. He really didn't care. Somehow over all these years he had managed to cling to his sanity and health, and he was sharp as ever. Each of his caretakers would receive him with open arms, only to grow frustrated and tired of his antics. They _knew_ he was capable of functioning normally, but he was just too stubborn. Exercise? Bah! He could do that on his own time. If he wanted to sleep, he was going to sleep. Feeding him was a pain too. Only cod would do, unless you happened to have some sheep or goat of course.

The only perk he had – which ironically came from him being flightless – was that he was able to roam freely. No chains or cages for him, no sir. Not that they could ever get him in them.

Today was a moving day. His current caretakers – a couple of cousins in Scotland – were running out of room. And who better to get rid of than the moody Night Fury? They too, had gotten tired of him.

"He does nothing but mope all day," said the older one, one day while feeding him.

_That's what you think,_ thought the dragon flatly. _I do lots of things when you aren't watching._

"They say that's all he's ever done," replied the younger one. "You'd be the same if you couldn't fly."

_Ha. If only you knew._

"Isn't there anyone who can help him? I mean, the poor thing is suffering. You should have heard him cry last night."

_I don't cry,_ he thought indignantly.

The younger human was silent for a moment, observing the dragon before him. He seemed to be trying to remember something. "There's a sanctuary in the Canadian Rockies, a nice secluded spot, and they have this girl who has the ability to talk to animals. Maybe she could help him."

Now he'd heard a lot in his rather long life, but that was just absurd. A human who could understand animals? How ridiculous. But a change in scenery would be nice. And he rather liked mountains. They reminded him a bit of his home; of Berk.

They had packed him up – meaning they'd fitted him with a collar and rope that was most unnecessary – and got ready to ship him off. He was already quite familiar with the process. A person – or wizard, rather – who could form a portal was brought in to open a path to their destination. The first time he had encountered one, he had tried to bolt, but they had dragged him through it anyways. He had fully expected to be torn apart, but instead he came out on the other side, unscathed.

This was his thirtieth time being moved. Surely he'd seen most of the sanctuaries in existence? How many could there be?

He stepped towards the swirling portal behind a scruffy-looking man. The wizard – Porters, they were called; they did this for a living apparently – was obviously a newbie. The portals usually included a door of some sort; this was just an oblong area of swirling colours.

Wondering vaguely where he would come out this time, he stepped through the amateur's portal.

* * *

Dishes clattered noisily in the kitchen of a small restaurant, the only noise to be heard in the empty place. The lunch rush was over, and all that was left was "damage control" as the girl in front of the sink had so eloquently put it. All that was left was to put them away, and her shift would be over. Silently rejoicing, she hurried through the task.

A phone rang not far off, nearly sending the bowl she was holding to the floor. Swiftly, she grabbed the purple cordless off its cradle, punched the talk button and held it to her ear.

"Talk to me," she said flatly, tucking the phone between her shoulder and ear, and resuming her task.

A hurried, overexcited voice on the other end answered, the words all jumbled together in a garbled string.

She sighed and set the dish down. "Art – whoa Art, you're going to have to slow down I can't –" she grit her teeth. The boy on the other end was too excited to stop. Sure her gift was the gift of communication, but that didn't mean she could understand over-excited gibberish. She had her limits. "Art! For the love of the high council, put your brother on!" A pause. "Yeah hi; so what's got your brother all excited?"

Another, longer pause.

She nearly dropped the phone. "I'll be right there."

* * *

When a wizard is born, they receive a gift. For some, it was strength, others knowledge. For Sakura Ross, it had been the gift of communication. This made it quite easy for her care-givers because she could always make it quite clear what she wanted, rather than having to resort to the guess work some babysitters were reduced to. But it also had its other uses, mostly in the field of animals. The boys she had been speaking to, Artemis and Apollo, helped run a dragon sanctuary not far from where she lived. She couldn't count how many times she'd been interrupted by a hungry or thirsty dragon when she had gone to visit.

She'd also had her own heroic moments. Well, there had really only been one. A smaller dragon had been thrown into a rock face by one of the larger ones, and had been bleeding internally. He had told her exactly what was hurting and where, which lead to the twins' mother being able to save the poor creature.

And somehow the word had spread to Scotland, to a pair of cousins with a rather depressed dragon on their hands.

Upon arriving to the Flynn sanctuary, she immediately saw the black beast. It was laying in the sun, black scales glinting in the sunlight, two figures hovering over it.

"Oh thank Zeus you're here," said the dark-haired figure with a relieved expression as she approached. "They just kind of came and left – just left us with some instructions for him, and requested that you see him."

She frowned. "Me? Why?"

The blonde one looked over at her. "He's depressed, and they don't know why."

"That's ridiculous, dragons don't get depressed," she stated.

"Well this one certainly is," replied the blonde, standing up. Both boys were a good foot taller than she was.

Sakura sighed. "Okay, so he's depressed. What breed is he?"

The blonde snorted. "You tell us. They said he's pretty well ancient, and you know we only specialize in more modern breeds…"

The two backed away from the dragon as she approached. She had a good knowledge of the Ancient Breeds, as they were called. Zipplebacks, Gronkles, Nadders, you name it, she knew what it was. Her eyes scanned the great beast carefully. Frowning, she pointed to the dark-haired brother. "Art, you still have my manual on the Ancient Breeds, right?"

He nodded. "Of course I do."

"Go get it," she commanded, never taking her eyes off the beast. She had a hunch about what this dragon was, but there was no way that _this_ dragon could still be alive. "Apollo, grab me any book you can find relating to Vikings and dragons, and Norse mythology if you can."

He nodded in the same fashion as his brother and dashed off.

Sakura crouched down next to the sleeping beast. "Just you and me now, buddy."

* * *

The sun was so nice and warm when they arrived in the mountains. He had immediately made himself comfortable in a nice sunny spot. It had been rather cold and wet in Scotland, so this was a nice break.

Too bad he couldn't sleep, though. _Stupid humans and their incessant chatter_, he thought moodily. His former caregivers had left in a hurry, leaving him with the younger humans. Soon another arrived.

Her presence intrigued him. She didn't have the same feel as the rest did. The others felt soft, small, weak. Regardless of her small stature, the girl had the same feel as many of the Vikings he'd come across; strong and confident. She acted it too. No sooner was she there than she was barking orders at the boys. They obviously thought him asleep.

He heard her approach him, and heard the click in her knee – old injury he guessed – as she crouched next to him. He opened his eyes fully from their former slits.

"You're a Night Fury, aren't you?"

He cocked his head at her with surprise. No one had been able to determine his breed for years. The knowledge had been lost with the Vikings.

Just who was this girl?

* * *

A/N: Okay, I have to admit, writing that whole first part with Hiccup had me choking up.

But that's beside the point. How was it? I hope my characters don't seem too outlandish and Mary Sue-ish. A few things to know about them (in case you weren't too sure):

The twins, Artemis and Apollo, are half-Greek. Their father, who happened to be a mythology nerd, married a Greek woman. Somehow he managed to convince her to name their twin boys after a god and god_dess_. Strange man, that one.

Sakura is Japanese (duh) with a past far too long to natter on about here. She also happens to be main character of my own story. This is story takes place in the summer after all my characters' shenanigans, after all the shit has gone down. When Toothless says that she walks with the air of a Viking, he really means it: she has a can-do attitude and the magic and muscle to back it up.

Hopefully you'll be back for Chapter 2!

Review!

~MissHanyou

**Edit:** How embarrassing! I forgot the line breaks. I assure you, it will not happen again.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: I'm back! Chapter one had an awesome response, so I'm continuing! Hurrah! Thanks to all that reviewed and all that watched/faved this story. You all were very kind and helpful; it was an awesome confidence booster. You even seemed to not mind my characters in there, which is great. Some of you didn't really seem to like the Porting part, and I don't blame you. I hate writing those parts. There's only a few left of those scenes (if any), so don't worry. Also, sorry for forgetting the line breaks. I can't believe I missed it.

Anyways, enough chatter! Here's Chapter 2!

* * *

So this girl had figured out what he was. No big deal. She was just up on her "Ancient Breeds" as she called them. That didn't mean that she could help him. No one could help him at this point. Not to say that they hadn't tried. Over the years there had been a few humans who had tried to befriend him. He hadn't let them. He wasn't stupid; he'd learned his lesson the first time. Getting close to a human would only mean repeating the heartbreak of the last time. He wasn't like the other dragons that bonded and died with their humans. Every human who had tried to become his friend or companion all got the same view of his throat as he roared in their faces.

Speaking of which, this girl was getting just a little too close for his liking.

She had sat down cross-legged in front of him, staring into his eyes.

What happened next shocked him. No human had been able to do it, ever. Not in all his years, had he witnessed a human do something he'd only dragons were capable of. Her voice echoed eerily in the back of his mind: "_What__'__s your name?"_

With a snarl he lunged at the small girl, pushing her back onto the grass. He let out a roar that would send a lion running. The two boys had returned and immediately jumped in to intervene upon seeing him. What? It wasn't like he was mauling her. He was just putting her in her place. She had no right to speak to him like that. No human did. The blonde boy had him by the collar he still wore, attempting to pull back the beast. Snapping at the human, he pushed him away too.

He glared at the girl, fully expecting an expression of blood-curdling fear to be written all over her face. But it wasn't. Instead, she wore a completely shocked expression, not even a trace of fear. Ugh, this girl was so unnerving! Why wasn't she scared?

A pull at his collar distracted him. The blonde human was attempting to lead him away. Fine. He didn't care. As long as where he was being lead to was peaceful. He followed along quietly, being lead between various buildings and cages and fenced-in areas. Dragons of all shapes and sizes roamed around or snoozed in their enclosures. _Like common housepets,_ he thought bitterly. What had his great race been reduced to? They used to be _feared_.

A roar from his left caught his attention, and caused the human ahead of him jump with surprise. A large dark red dragon that resembled a Nightmare rattled the bars of its cage, spitting fire. Okay, maybe _she_ was still feared.

"Down, Hera!" called the boy into the bars. The dragon hissed and clawed at him. "Ugh, stupid beast," he muttered and continued forwards. Eyeing the bigger dragon, he determined that she was indeed not all that bright.

The human led him to an empty enclosure. It had glass walls high enough that he couldn't jump out, but could still see everything around him. It had enough space to run around in and a shelter should the weather turn foul.

"I'll fill the reservoir in the corner for you. Other than that, it's all ready," said the boy as he unlocked the nearly invisible door. The beast looked around tentatively. There was more than enough room for him to roam in; most of his previous homes – if you could call them that – only gave him half of this. The glass walls were nice too, as they made it feel less confining. Upon walking in, the boy closed the door behind the dragon, and left. Sighing, he curled up in a sunny spot and settled down for a snooze.

* * *

Sakura thought that she'd take the direct approach. The sooner this was over, the sooner she could get back to a reasonably normal summer. Sitting down cross-legged in the grass before the black beast, she looked directly into its yellow-green eyes. She knew how dragons communicated: telepathically. Years spent with the twins on the sanctuary grounds had taught her that. She also knew that this dragon was _not_ going to try and strike up a conversation on its own with her. _Let__'__s start with a name,_ she thought.

"_What's your name?"_ she asked. An innocent enough question.

She had barely gotten the question out before being knocked to the ground. The roar that the dragon had let out was ear-splitting and its breath reeked of fish. But she wasn't scared. Maybe one of the other dragons would have sent her into a panic attack, but not this one. This one's eyes said everything. It wasn't going to hurt her; it had no intention of maiming her or drawing blood. Of that much she was certain.

Artemis and Apollo jumped in out of nowhere, Apollo grabbing the dragon and Artemis helping her to her feet. The blonde twin pulled the beast away, leading it away to its new enclosure.

"You're shaking," said Artemis behind her.

"So are you," she pointed out.

"What did you do to make him angry?" he asked, incredulous.

"I asked him what his name was," Sakura stated. "Either it's a touchy subject, or I freaked him out."

"So… time for plan B?"

"It would be, had I made up a Plan B. Hell, we're lucky I had a Plan A," she said with a laugh as they headed back towards the main building, which also doubled as the Flynn household. _I have no idea for a Plan B. At _all_. It__'__s not like I do this every day. But I__'__ve gotta try…_

* * *

_Toothless lay quietly on the shores of Berk. That's all he ever seemed to do these days; just lay there and stare listlessly out at the open water. He didn't know why he did it, he just sort of… did. Maybe he wished in vain that the boat that carried his human to Valhalla would come back, and his human, his poor fragile Hiccup, would be with him once more. _

_Vaguely taking note of the footsteps behind him he didn't even bother to look at who was coming. He simply didn't care. Nothing mattered anymore. He'd lost everything. _

"_Toothless?"_

_It was the blonde girl. What was her name, again? Astrid, right? He lifted his head slowly, eyes void of any emotion, and looked at the girl. She too looked miserable. In her hands was a fish. Holding it out to him, she approached. The dragon took it gently, but simply placed it on the ground by his front legs. He had no will to eat. The girl sat beside him, knees pulled up to her chest and stared in the same direction as the Night Fury. _

"_It doesn't seem real. I mean, he was just here," she said quietly. _

_The dragon gave a soft whine in agreement. _

"_It's not fair. How could Odin take away someone so…" she struggled for the right word. _

Perfect? Caring? Blessed?_ The dragon ventured silently, knowing the girl wouldn__'__t hear him. He knew what the girl was trying to say. He__'__d been thinking about it himself for days now. How did the gods justify taking Hiccup and leaving him here? Perhaps he__'__d been forsaken by them…_

_Astrid started to sob quietly into her knees. Toothless gazed silently at the girl, taking pity on her. She really did love the boy. He loved her too, even to the point of pondering marriage. The injustice of it all made him sick to think about it…_

_Toothless lifted a leathery wing and wrapped it around the girl. She took the dragon-like hug willingly and snuggled closer to the warmth, sobbing still harder. He knew what the girl was feeling. Even if her grief was only a fraction of what he was feeling, it still hurt. It was the kind of feeling he would never wish upon his worst enemy. Slowly he curled around the girl, encasing her from the harsh outside world, and began to purr. It was his version of comfort, something small to offer the girl that shared his pain. _

_Her sobs slowed, eventually turning into deep, even breaths. She'd fallen asleep. _

_The dragon sighed gently. Perhaps he should get some rest as well…_

* * *

That girl was nothing if not persistent. He had been thoroughly enjoying his lunch - raw lamb – when he heard the latch of the door to his enclosure click. The girl was back, but this time she carried a good-sized cod and a book. He eyed her cautiously as she laid the fish down a few feet away from him and backed away.

Ha. It was a peace offering. Like he'd fall for _that one_. But the fish looked tasty, so he decided to eat it anyways. Not as fresh as he might have liked, but delicious nonetheless.

The girl had sat herself down under a tree – _his_ tree, damn it – and cracked open her book. He locked eyes with her and growled; she wasn't fazed. Ugh. Fine, let the human girl stay. As long as she stayed good and far away from him, he didn't much care.

The girl stayed for the entire afternoon before leaving. They exchanged no words, not even a glance. He just wandered around his enclosure, and she simply read her book. He didn't get it. What was she doing?

The next day the same thing happened. She came after lunch with a cod and a book and settled down under the tree. Hours later, she left. What was she playing at? Didn't she have anything better to be doing?

The next morning, the dark-haired boy did the same thing, only after breakfast. He sat beneath a smaller tree and began to scribble in a notebook. He didn't mind this human, really. There was no motive behind his actions, save for maybe the need for a quiet place. The dragon let him be.

When the girl returned just after noon, he lunged at her and roared again. She stumbled back a few paces with surprise and just walked past him, dropping the fish at his feet. Oh, she wasn't going to get off this easy. He growled at her back, flashing his now unsheathed teeth and even going as far as to snap at the girl.

She scoffed at him. _Scoffed._

"You're not going to hurt me," she stated with a shake of her head. "You may act all tough, but you would never hurt a human."

_No, but I _can_ scare you witless,_ he thought as he lunged at her again. He snapped in her face, pinning her arms down on the ground. Fear flickered across her face, finally, just before he heard the snap of her arm. She cried out.

"Damn it all, get off me," she growled through gritted teeth. "_God damn it, you stupid animal, GET OFF._" She wiggled around frantically and the dragon leapt off lithely. The girl was up and gone before he could blink.

Guilt washed over him for the first time in a long while. He hadn't meant to break her arm. She had it coming though, being so persistent. It was her fault, not his. The stupid girl should have learned her lesson back when he gave his first warning.

So why couldn't he shake this guilty feeling?

* * *

Sakura had severely misjudged the beast. His eyes hadn't shown any intent to hurt her, and eyes never lied. So why was she now sitting here in the hospital, getting a cast? The dragon had managed to snap her arm in three places. _Three_. She marvelled at the fact that he hadn't crushed it.

It was sometime later, after waiting at the local hospital for an hour and receiving treatment for her arm, that she was sitting at the Flynn table. Artemis sat beside her, his brother nowhere to be seen. Kneading at her forehead with the heel of her hand, she let out a small moan. The boy's head snapped up.

"Are you in pain?" he asked, panic lining his words.

She shook her head. "No not really, it's nothing I can't handle. I'm just so frustrated."

Artemis hummed, looking out the kitchen window, from which you could see the Night Fury's enclosure. The dragon was pacing, its head low. _A sad sight,_ thought the boy.

"I have no idea how to help him, Art," she continued, following his line of vision.

He screwed up is face in thought. "I think… this is kinda like making a cake," he said slowly.

Sakura's head snapped up, her black hair nearly hitting the boy in the face. Artemis had the weirdest metaphors sometimes. "What are you going on about?"

"Well think about it," he said, looking at her easily, "before you even make the cake, or even pick out the ingredients, you have to decide what kind of cake it is, right? Like, angel food or devil's food."

She nodded. "Yeah. And this helps how?"

"Well you want to help him be happy, right?"

"No, I want him to be even more miserable when I'm done," she said dryly.

Artemis sighed. "You have to figure out why he's unhappy, Sakura, and then go from there. Angel food or devil's food."

"And then figure out how to make him happy," she said slowly, understanding, "like ingredients, right?"

He smiled widely. "Yes, exactly. And the end product – the cake – is his happiness," he finished.

"And that's my Plan B," she said finally, standing up. "You have the strangest metaphors, Art, but they always seem to help. Thanks!" She hugged him swiftly before dashing out of the house. She barely heard his nervous laugh as she slipped on her sandals, and left the grounds at top speed.

The plan was forming in her mind already, half fleshed out before she even reached her house. She still had the books the twins had lent her before, but she'd need more than that. In her attic, there was a book of old draconic legends; this would be her starting point. She'd read it a million times before, but this time it wasn't just for fun, this was research.

It took some time to get the behemoth of a book out of the attic. Sakura ultimately ended up asking for help from her sister.

"I don't see why you need it so badly," said the older girl as she climbed down the ladder, the giant book in hand. She shook her head at her younger half-sister, curly hair swinging.

"You'll see eventually," replied Sakura, snatching the book and running off to her room. "Thanks, Temp!"

The book really was huge. A foot and a half wide, by two feet tall, and at least four inches thick. She threw it down on her bed – her desk wasn't big enough – and opened it with her still-functioning right hand.

* * *

It was the blonde boy who always fed him. Normally, he was in a decent mood, humming tunelessly to himself. But this morning, something had made him agitated. His movements were rough and angry. His normally happy nature clouded over by an angry face.

The Night Fury pondered briefly why the blonde boy was so miserable. He didn't particularly _care_, but parts of his curious personality remained, and occasionally got the best of him. He watched the human quietly as he retrieved his breakfast – fish and chicken – off a well-used cart.

Humans were so strange. In all his years, the dragon still hadn't figured them out completely. They truly were _odd_. They could be the most compassionate and loving creatures, but also harbored a more destructive nature. He could never _hate_ mankind. No, they were the ones that kept him fed and safe and warm, and for this he was at least a little grateful. Given the change in the times, he doubted he would last long in the outside world. They couldn't kill him of course – severely injure, yes; kill, no. This didn't mean he had to _love _them, though. But he'd never dreamed of hurting one, not since he'd been touched by _him, t_hat small boy, all those years ago. Before him, before _Hiccup_, he wouldn't have even hesitated before maiming a human. But now…

Ugh!

There it was again! That cursed feeling. _Guilt._ It wasn't like he'd _killed _the girl! He hadn't even drawn _blood_. But every time he thought about it, his gut would clench with shame, accompanied by the disapproving stare of his rider. What would he have said? The thought was almost too much to bare. There was nothing worse than his rider, his Hiccup, being disappointed in him.

Then it occurred to the dragon; the boy was angry with _him._ The boy obviously cared about the girl to some degree, so he couldn't blame him. He had every right to be cross with the dragon. _I deserve it,_ thought the dragon dejectedly, staring at the boy. The blonde was glaring at him out of the corner of his eye. The dragon looked away slowly, insides still turning with shame, and flopped under the largest tree.

* * *

The book had been a dead end. While there had been a legend of the Night Fury and his rider, it hadn't given her the info she'd hoped for. No, instead Sakura ended up with a general tale about defeating a great evil by overcoming formidable odds. Nothing that would even hint at a depressed dragon. Her only hope now was to befriend the dragon – or even just gain some degree of trust – and talk it out of him.

Sakura flopped on her bed, pushing the book to the floor. Her eyes flicked to her cell phone – which hadn't been touched in days – and debated calling Artemis for advice. Deciding to do it in the morning, she rolled over as best she could with a clunky cast and attempted to sleep.

* * *

A/N: Well. Not sure how I feel about this one. There were parts that my brain just kind of… threw up, and I liked it, so I kept it.

The dream/flashback of Toothless's was harder to write than I thought it would be. It took me the better part of two hours. I don't like writing depressed Astrid, I guess.

And I hope the cake metaphor didn't confuse you too much… it made perfect sense when I thought it up, but I was unfortunately at work and couldn't write it down. By the time I got home, I had mostly forgotten it and had to re-think it through. I think it turned out okay.

I have the ending worked out completely now! So, hopefully this won't take long to finish.

Anyways, reviews are highly appreciated! And if you spot any errors, please please _please_ let me know! I don't have a beta so I proofed this myself, but I still may have missed something.

~MissHanyou


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Hello again! First off, thanks to all my kind reviewers! You guys make my day, seriously.

Secondly, I'm now Grim Revolution's Beta for "Principles and Elements"! So if you haven't read it already: _go do it now_. And a shameless plug of my own: Go read Everyday Heroes! If you have a prompt you want me to do, send it that way! I _love_ prompts.

Anyways, on with the story! And please, review when you're done! Reviews make me happy and help me improve!

Chapter 3

After finally figuring out that Thor, his very _father,_ had forsaken him, he just sat around and waited for the goddess Nanna to take him. He waited for days, weeks, months, even years.

The goddess never came. In fact, every one of the gods seemed to have given up on him. No matter how much he cried and prayed and waited, none of them ever took pity on him.

The humans weren't much help either. They refused to kill the suffering creature. "Inhumane," they had said. Inhumane? _This, _this torture was inhumane. Not that they ever _could_ kill him. No; his scales were strong enough to withstand anything that they should choose to dispatch him with. His destiny was to aid in Ragnarok, and so he was stuck here until then.

So now here he sat, empty and sad, watching emotionlessly as the dark haired boy scribbled in a notebook. Days had blended into weeks, and now he was almost a month into his stay at the Flynn sanctuary. The humans were like clock work, always following the same pattern. Wake up. Breakfast. Visit from the dark haired boy. Lunch. Visit from the infuriating girl. Dinner. Sleep. Repeat. Not that he minded much. The monotony was comfortable, predictable. And that suited him just fine.

The only thing that really changed from day to day was the dark haired boy. Some days he'd write, some days he'd draw. Today he'd brought a shoulder bag and a black book. He scribbled something for a while, before opening the bag. The dragon's head came off the ground a few inches when he saw what the boy had pulled out. It was a pan flute, and most of the humans he'd come across couldn't play it to save their lives. With a groan, he covered his ears and braced himself for an awful sound.

The sound that met his ears was pleasantly surprising.

It was a slow, heartbreaking tune in low, empty notes that echoed through the sanctuary. It managed to be both beautiful and sad, calming you and ripping your heart to shreds.

All noises seemed to stop as the boy played; dragons that were normally fierce and rattled the bars of their large cages stood still and listened. Every living thing seemed to be at a standstill. Even the normally cold, moody dragon before him watched in wonder as the boy played his pan flute. It was like his own emotions were being put into that melody. All the heartbreak, all the suffering, _everything_ being played out by this small human and his flute.

The sound was heaven to the dragon's ears, long plagued with terrible human chatter. Something in him became peaceful, and he lent his own unique voice to the melody of the flute, able to forget his troubles, even if it was just for a moment.

* * *

Sakura wasn't sure what had possessed her to take the morning off and spend it out on the sanctuary with Apollo. Maybe it was her newly healed arm, or perhaps it was the call of a warm summer's day. She just sort of had the feeling that she needed to be there, and if there was one thing her father had taught her it was to always trust your instincts. So she headed down to the sanctuary after eating breakfast (and cajoling her sister into covering her shift).

Apollo had beamed brightly upon seeing her. "Morning!" he exclaimed when she entered the Flynn kitchen.

"Morning to you too," she said with a smile, setting her lately ever-present book bag down on the kitchen table. "Where's Art?"

"Out with the dragons," stated the blonde simply, rising from his place at the table. "So what brings you here so early in the morning? Shouldn't you be working?"

She shrugged. "Temp's covering for me. Is it so wrong I want to spend the morning with my friends? And besides, the dragons miss me," she said with a grin. It was somewhat true; all her time lately was consumed by three things: work, the Night Fury, and research _on_ the Night Fury. Even at work she could be caught reading some book on dragon psychology during a slow period.

The blonde just shook his head. "Suit yourself. I'm just going to feed them for this morning. Dad wants me to work on paperwork with him, so the hands are going to take over when I'm done."

"Fine with me," said Sakura as they headed out the door.

Apollo sent her to feed the smaller dragons as he fed Hera ("Don't get eaten!", she had called to him). She approached the enclosure that held the Terrors. They were a very old breed that was so plentiful that it withstood the test of time. They weren't terribly smart, but she thought they were endlessly cute. Opening the door, she threw a few fish towards a family of seven. They chirruped and purred happily as they ate and she petted them. In the adjacent cage, Hera rattled noisily, complaining about the sheep that Apollo was feeding her. He always seemed to be more appetizing than whatever was being given to her.

Then all noise stopped. Even Hera stopped her usual clanging and clawing to stop and listen, and the Terrors at Sakura's feet looked around, fish forgotten.

It was the saddest, most beautiful tune Sakura had ever heard. She wasn't sure where it came from, but she knew she didn't want it to stop. Looking over to Apollo, she saw him look to the skies, sigh, and close his eyes, a single tear rolling down his cheek. She walked over to him.

"It's Artemis playing this, isn't it?" she asked.

The blonde nodded. "Yes, it is."

Artemis's gift was that of music and emotion. Not only could he pick up and play any instrument, but he could invoke in the listener feelings that they never even knew they had. He could also tap into the emotions of other people, and translate them into song. He could play or sing his way into your heart and do what he pleased with it. It was often thought to be a useless talent, not posing any real use in the real world.

Sakura pitied the person on whose emotions that Artemis was drawing from. Her heart broke for them, who ever they were. Looking around, she could see that the other animals felt the same way. She scoffed softly. _Useless talent, huh? This is hardly useless…_

Quietly, she sniffled and realized that she, too, was crying. Looking over at Apollo, she could see he was a mess; kneeling in the dirt with his head clutched in his hands, sobs shaking his muscular frame. Her heart clenched to see her best friend in such a state. Kneeling down next to Apollo, she wrapped her arms around him. He accepted the hug, and cried quietly into her shoulder.

"I'm sorry," he said, voice thick with tears.

Sakura shook her head. "No. Don't be," she whispered, brushing her hand through his choppy blonde hair.

The music continued to wash over the grounds, no one daring to make a sound.

* * *

The song came to a slow, hopeful end, leaving an open question hanging in the air. The resounding silence was deafening.

The boy looked piteously at the dragon for a moment, setting down the flute. The dragon gazed back at the boy, watching as tears rolled down his pale cheeks.

"That one was for you," he said softly, stowing the flute away.

The dragon nodded deeply, understanding the boy's words and the meaning behind them. The boy then got up quietly and left, leaving the dragon to his solitude.

He couldn't get the melody out of his mind. It seemed like it had come from the very depths of his being. Not many were so gifted that they could pull _that_ kind of emotion out of a living being.

Especially one like him, who had seen more than his fair share and known more sadness than most.

He didn't move from his spot under the tree, the thoughts flying through his mind too distracting to do anything else.

* * *

Sakura was sitting in the Flynn kitchen sometime later, attempting to take notes down out of a dragon psych book. Her thoughts, however, kept straying to the dark-haired musician who had just walked in.

Artemis set his pan flute down on the table and started making lunch silently, his expression sombre. The girl touched the flute where it lay beside her, amazed that the song from before had come from _this_. It was a little beat up, as it had been his grandmother's - who sported the same gift as him -, and sported a decorated strap of leather - probably dragon hide - around the pipes.

"That was amazing, Artemis," she said softly. "Who was it for?"

He sighed. "For him. The dragon. And for me," he said, his voice unsteady.

Sakura got up. "Oh, Art -"

"No. You shouldn't pity _me._ If you want to pity someone, pity the Night Fury. His emotions… he's so sad, Sakura. _All the time." _He wouldn't look at the short girl behind him.

"I can see that, Art. I know he's suffering. Why do you think I'm busting my ass trying to help him? Let me pity _you_ for a second. You're my best friend. I hate to see you like this…"

Artemis was silent for a moment, glaring at the pot on the stove. "You're good with communication, right?" he asked, his tone sharp, trying to get the topic off himself. "What did that tell you?"

Sakura was taken aback for a moment, before reflecting on the tune. "Something was lost," she started slowly. "It was lost, and now there is nothing left. No hope, no joy. Just… sorrow."

"Bingo," he muttered, adding the pasta. "That dragon lost something important. You need to figure out what."

Sakura nodded bleakly, thinking. "You said that song was also for you…" she said quietly. "What did you lose?"

"Nothing; never mind," he said quickly.

Shaking her head, Sakura let it go and headed out the door, leaving Artemis be.

* * *

The last week had been hell for the youngest Ross girl. She'd been pulling double shifts for her sister - who had recently acquired a new boyfriend, but what else was new - and was still trying to find time to research and little tiny scrap of info on that damned dragon. There was _nothing_. Only myths and legends. She wanted _facts_, and she wasn't getting them.

Finally, after a week full of double shifts and books she was able to return to the sanctuary. Of course it had to rain that day, only adding to her miserable mood. Sakura was exhausted by the time she reached the Night Fury. She threw her customary cod at him - this dragon was costing her a small fortune in cod _alone_ - and flopped in the hay.

It was so soft and warm… The rain outside had chilled her to the bone. Watching as the dragon before her - who still remained frustratingly silent and nameless - laid down, ignoring her.

The idea was tempting. _Sleep sounds really good right about now…_ she thought, snuggling down and getting comfortable in the hay. Sleep took her fast, eagerly awaiting her exhausted form.

* * *

Days passed quietly for the black dragon, who had spent the last week in almost total solitude. The twin boys never came around except to feed him, and the girl hadn't been around at all. Not that he really minded. The solitude was nice.

But it wasn't going to last forever.

It had begun to rain the morning that the girl returned. She had come dashing into the small shelter, books in tow. But she looked different somehow. She looked… tired, almost dead on her feet. Depositing her usual cod in front of him, she flopped down in a pile of hay in the corner. The dragon gulped down the fish and settled down for a nap, hoping that if he went to sleep, the girl would just go _away_.

* * *

_He was flying. _

_It was sheer bliss, flying above the clouds in his own private heaven. _

_But it wasn't private. Not really. Because _he_ was there. His one and only rider. They zipped around the clouds, faster than any of the other dragons, nothing even coming close to matching the Night Fury. _

_Higher, higher, and higher still they climbed, his rider laughing wildly as they turned sharply and free-fell, adrenaline pulsing through both of their veins. _

_Great black wings shot out, catching them and throwing them into a loop. Both of them worked together flawlessly, their bond closer than that of any other pair on Berk. They were made for this, made to work together. They just… fit. When in flight, they shared one mind, no communication was needed. _

_Again, they built up speed, darting in and out of rock formations, defying death at every turn. Every rock threatening to squash them flat, but they would dodge at the last nanosecond, mocking the rocks, the danger. Nothing could stop them. _

_He could spend forever like this, just him and his rider flying around the island of Berk. _

_This was indeed heaven…_

* * *

Sakura woke with a start, falling off a big couch and landing on a none-too-forgiving hardwood floor. Her heart pounded in her ears, her breath coming in gasps. The familiar sensation of adrenaline pounded through her veins as she tried to comprehend what she had just seen.

Artemis appeared at her side, his eyes concerned and slightly panicky. "Sakura?"

"Art…" she breathed, "I was flying."

He frowned. "What?"

"You heard me. Flying," she said, hauling herself off the floor. "With a dragon… no… I _was_ the dragon…"

Watching her, Artemis sat himself down in a big chair. "You don't think…"

Sakura nodded as she sat down on the couch, the adrenaline now starting to wear off. "Maybe. It's never happened before with an animal, but that Night Fury… he's highly intelligent. Makes me think that maybe, just _maybe_ it's possible -"

"That you two shared a dream," finished Artemis. "So did you learn anything?"

"Nothing other than he really enjoys flying," she said flatly.

With a sigh, Artemis sank into the chair. "That's a pity. The poor thing is flightless."

"Maybe that's why he's sad?" suggested Sakura half-heartedly. She didn't really believe that to be the entire problem. Sure it was definitely part of it, but they were missing the main ingredient here…

* * *

He hated dreams about flying. They mocked him. Sure, he was able to relive moments with his rider - his _Hiccup_ - and have a few moments of happiness, but he would always wake up in the here and now, flightless and alone. Yes, he missed flying, but he missed Hiccup more. No one was going to ride him if Hiccup couldn't. Rangarok would come before he'd let that happen.

But today's dream had been different. Another presence had been felt.

And he was dead certain that it was the girl.

Part of him wanted to be angry about it, about her impeding something so private as a dream. The other part, however, rationalized that the girl hadn't meant it, that she had no control over this particular power. So far the latter was winning out, for some reason.

The next day she was back - along with the rain -, looking just as tired and worn as the day before. He half expected her to fall asleep on the spot. But no, she forced herself to crack open the book in her lap, staring blearily at the pages, head bobbing every so often as she struggled to stay awake.

Something clicked inside the dragon. The human girl really was trying to help, giving it her all to try and figure out how to make him happy.

She was either masochistic or she really cared _that much_.

But it touched the dragon, somewhere in his stone-cold heart. No one had tried this hard, not ever. Sure they'd give a good week's worth of trying to get to know him, but he shunned them and they got discouraged. Not this girl. A month later she was still here, spending time with him, and giving it her best shot to help him.

What had she asked him before? His name, wasn't it? But he didn't have a name. Not anymore. Sure he'd been _given_ many names in the past, none of which he had accepted. Even his birth name, the name given to him by Thor himself had been long rejected. He'd only ever accept one name and it was possibly the worst, least-thought-through name ever. But it fit, sitting comfortably and allowing him to relate to his rider even more.

"_A month ago you asked me my name,"_ he started slowly, getting the girl's attention. Her sharp blue eyes widened in surprise at the voice echoing in her head, but listened intently.

"_My name… is Toothless."_

* * *

A/N: Yay! Toothless has a name now! I'm so glad this is done. It was like pulling teeth. Life itself did _not_ want this chapter to be posted. AT ALL. But here it is! Kinda late, but hey, it's up!

But that whole thing on the music? Yeah, that was supposed to be only like two lines. HA. Right. It turned into like, two pages worth of all-around angst. I don't know if I'm happy with it. The Artemis-angst bugs me for some reason. So, if you don't like it, I completely understand!

This was supposed to be a turning point, kind of where Toothless accepts the help Sakura is trying to give him. I hope I did it justice.

And last thing before I wrap this up: I hate writing about flying. Really, I do.

Review!

~MissHanyou


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: You guys are amazing. Seriously.

I have nothing to say here, so here's Chapter 4! See you at the bottom!

Disclaimer (because I'm horrible and haven't been doing these): Everything in this fic (other than my own characters) belong to their rightful owners. I take no credit for creating them.

* * *

Chapter 4

The girl simply stared back at Toothless for a moment. "_That's a terrible name,_" she replied, voice echoing in the back of his mind. "_What idiot thought-"_

The dragon didn't let her finish her sentence, lunging at her and growling in her face. "_Don't EVER insult him like that_."

She leaned back fully against the wall of the shelter, a look of surprise on her face. "_Fine. Okay, alright I won't. Just please, don't hurt me._"

Toothless snorted as he backed away. "_I don't hurt humans. Not on purpose, anyways._"

Nodding, she sighed and relaxed. _"So does this mean you don't hate me?"_

"_No, but it doesn't mean I like you either" _replied the dragon as he moved away and curled up on the floor.

Silence fell between the two as the girl looked at her book blankly.

Sakura couldn't believe that the dragon had come to her on his own time. Toothless was his name, or so he had said. Not the greatest name, as he obviously had teeth, but it was a name. Running back to the Flynn house, she burst through the door and ran into the kitchen.

Artemis stood at the stove, once again making lunch. He looked up at Sakura, who was happier than he'd seen in days.

"Toothless," she said simply as she looked at the boy, a grin plastered on her face.

"Huh?" He turned around to stare at the girl, looking at her like she'd gone mad.

"Toothless," she repeated, "that's his name."

"The Night Fury?" Artemis was quite confused.

"_Yes,_ Artemis, the Night Fury. His name is Toothless," she replied, too happy to be irritated. She skipped over to stand beside the boy.

"And how'd you find this out?"

"He talked to me," she practically sang. It was a small step, but at least she had _something_ to go on now.

"Well congrats, I guess," said Artemis as he turned back to the stove. "But you do realize that this probably won't be of much help, right?"

Sakura's face fell. "Are you serious?"

He nodded. "Yes. It sounds like his name was lost, just like his breed, meaning that it probably won't be of much use. It's nice to know it though."

Severely put out, she walked to the table and flopped in a chair. "Well _damn._ I really thought I had something."

Artemis shrugged. "I'm sure you'll figure something out."

She put her head on the table, exhaustion returning. So now what? Something told her she had all the pieces, she just couldn't see the connection. The answer was right there, and she just couldn't reach it. Reaching down for her bag, she pulled out a scrap of paper and began to write what she knew about the dragon down. Sometimes, things made more sense on paper.

"What're you doing?" Artemis hovered over her shoulder, reading her words.

_1. Doesn't like his name insulted._

_2. Likes flying_

_3. Loves fish_

_4. Used to live with Vikings_

_5. Legend says he had a rider. T/F?_

She looked down at her paper. Nothing. No connection. Sighing, she turned to Artemis. "Got anything?"

He frowned, studying the paper. "Nope. Nothing. But the part about his rider is true."

"Really?" She gaped at her friend.

"Yeah. Didn't you read the story about them? _You're_ the one with the dragon book," he replied, fixing her with a look.

Sakura nodded. "Of course I did. It's the first place I looked for clues."

Artemis sighed. "Then you should know that he had a rider."

Suddenly, looks of realization came over both of the teens. "His _rider_!" They both exclaimed.

"Most dragons die with their bonded riders," stated Artemis quickly, "but he's immortal, so if he bonded with anyone..."

"The dragon wouldn't have died with his rider, " finished Sakura. The excitement was short-lived, however. "Well that _sucks_. Now how are we supposed to help him?" She paused for a moment. "What if we brought his spirit back? That would be easy enough. Temp could summon him..."

Artemis shook his head. "He'd need a tangible body. You know dragons don't have a sixth sense like we do."

With a grumble, Sakura set her head on the table. Now what?

The next day, Toothless lay lazily in the shelter, watching the rain come down outside as hard as ever. The boy had already been in, addressing him by his rightful name. It was nice, being called by his name. He had missed it more than he had thought. The morning passed quietly, the boy not saying anything in particular and then leaving around lunch. The girl returned like usual, and handed him the usual cod. She watched uneasily as he ate, looking like she was trying to say something. Toothless cocked his head at the girl. _"Is there something you wanted to say?"_

She sat down carefully in the hay once more, looking at the dragon. _"Do you mind if I ask you a question?"_

"_No, not really. I don't have anything to hide._" It was true. He never hid anything. No one just never bothered asking. And it wasn't like he could tell them.

"_Would you mind telling me about your rider?" _she asked carefully. _"If you don't, I completely understand!"_ she added hastily.

He hadn't been expecting that question. But he answered, trying to avoid painful memories as best he could. _"He was the first rider. I'm sure you've read the legends."_

She nodded. _"Of course I have. He was a great viking, wasn't he? He did some spectacular stuff."_

Toothless laid his head down on his paws. _"Yes, he was. He had a kind heart..."_

There was a pause as the girl seemed to debate about asking something else. In fact, she seemed to be bubbling over with questions. He huffed; he certainly wasn't about to sit around answering questions all afternoon. Just because he'd told the girl his name, did _not_ mean that he had any desire to _converse_ with her.

"_How did he... you know... die?"_

The dragon's head shot up, eyes narrowed to slits. _"Why do you want to know?"_

"_Maybe I can help you."_ She sounded totally sincere, and it angered him. Who was she to think that she could possibly help him? No one could. He was stuck here until he completed his role in Ragnarok. Or until the Gods decided to take pity on him.

"_You can't help me. No one can."_

She huffed. _"How do you know if you don't try?"_ Her tone was smug, very sure of herself. Gods she was stubborn.

"_Well it wasn't heroic, that's for sure,_" he stated, wanting to get this over with. The faster he answered her questions, the faster she would go away.

_Toothless had done everything in his power to stop Hiccup from leaving. He had hidden his pack, dismantled the pack, even went as far as to take all his clothes and hide them in various parts of the house. Nothing worked, only serving to make the boy angry. _

"_Toothless, buddy, I've gotta do this!" he'd say. "Please, it's already hard for me to leave you behind, don't make it harder..."_

_On the morning of the ship's departure, Toothless had resorted to physically preventing him from going. Already irritated with his dragon's antics, the boy snapped. _

"_Ugh, Toothless! Just give it up already!" he pushed the dragon away roughly. He wasn't the tiny slip of a boy he used to be. The past three years had added some muscle and height to the boy."I have to go! I have to prove that I can do this! Just let me GO!" He ran the last few meters to the ship, his dragon gawking at his back._

_Those were the last words Hiccup would say to Toothless. _

_In the days after the boy's death, those words grated at him, playing back through his mind and never letting him forget. _You never even go got to say good-bye..._ his conscience would say. No matter how hard he tried to shake it off, he never could. _

_He'd messed up. And he was paying for it dearly. _

The girl said nothing. The expression on her face was unreadable, something between shock and pity, with more than a little sadness thrown in.

"_That's awful..."_

Toothless merely turned his back to her. He was _done_ talking. He'd told her more than enough.

Parts of him wondered why he'd told her. Maybe there was a small glimmer of hope that she could, in fact, help him. She _did_ reek of magic. Not just the run-of-the mill kind either. Hers was... touched with darkness. He couldn't really describe it and it unsettled him to some degree. But he was dead certain that she couldn't help him. It was nice to have hope for once, even if it was false hope.

He listened as the girl got up slowly and left, far earlier than usual.

The smell of saltwater stung his nose as she ran by.

She was a mess. A complete and utter mess. The rain pounded her skin as she made her way back to the Flynn house. Tripping on a rock, she landed hard on her knee, leaving a long scrape down her shin. She didn't feel it. Her mind was elsewere.

There was no way to help him. Not that Sakura knew of, anyways.

Pulling her knee up to her chest, she sobbed. Tears poured down her cheeks, not for her but for the dragon and all the despair that he carried. _Gods shouldn't be this cruel_, she thought. And here she had hoped she could help him. Ha! The only thing that would even _remotely_ help would be to bring the boy's soul back, and if he was in Helheim (because it didn't sound like he went to Valhalla) there was no getting him back. Souls _stayed_ in Helheim and that was that, no exceptions. And even if he hadn't passed on, dragons didn't have a sixth sense, making the whole thing pointless.

Sloshy footsteps caught her attention. Looking up, she saw Artemis, soaking wet, standing over her. "Gods! You're soaked Sakura! Why are you sitting in the rain?" He grabbed a hold of her elbow and pulled her up gently. Concern was painted all over the boy's face. Then again, he was always like that. Always the one to worry first, or to see that something was wrong. "And you're bleeding! Come on, let's get you inside into something dry..."

A sob escaped her lips, alerting the boy to her crying. His grey eyes were bright with panic – another common emotion of his. "What's wrong!"

"I can't... can't help him, Art. There's just no way..." He pulled her close as she sobbed, not caring about how muddy she was. The rain still poured, soaking them both through to the bone.

"Come on," he said soothingly, "Let's get you inside and calmed down."

She nodded. "Okay..."

Artemis hauled her to the house, both of them now very wet and muddy. Not particularly caring about the floors, they headed straight for the bathroom, where he wrapped Sakura up in a towel before grabbing his own. Sakura's small body was wracked shivers. Gently, he herded her into his room and sat her down on the bed as he pulled out dry clothes for the both of them. There was always a spare pair of shorts of hers kicking around in a bag somewhere, but he found no shirt. Lending her one of his own, he left her some privacy to change, and changed his own clothes in Apollo's room. When they were both finished, he sat beside her on the floor, their backs against the bed.

Artemis grabbed his blanket off the bed and wrapped it around both of them, his arm around Sakura's shoulder. She was like ice and still shivering.

"Better?" he asked worriedly.

She nodded, leaning in towards the warmth. "I just... I truly believed we could help him, Artemis. I really did."

"I know. There still may be a way. You never know," he tried.

Sakura shook her head. "Not unless you know how to raise the dead. Or pull them back from Helheim."

He sighed. "Sleep on it, okay? Maybe we'll figure something out."

She laughed cynically. "Yeah, okay."

"You can sleep here tonight. There's no way I'm letting you walk home in this..."

"You know you sound like a mother, right?" she jabbed.

"Well if I don't, who will?" he said with a smile.

In all truth, Toothless hated rain like this. It was the kind of rain that chilled you to the bone, unforgiving and horrible. He hated any rain, really. But the dragon didn't used to hate it. Years ago, he wouldn't have minded. He'd just get out of the rain, make a small make-shift nest of warm coals, and wait it out.

Not anymore. Nothing was the same anymore.

Hiccup had changed his perspective on everything.

But nothing more so than the rain. It was ironic that the dragon should hate this type of weather, because the human boy had, in fact, _enjoyed_ rain. No, it was because it had rained on the day of the boy's funeral. The rain was an eerie reminder of all the pain that had been felt, and that was still felt. And on top of it all, the scar where his other tail fin used to be ached. _Ached_. For the first three years, it hadn't bothered him; sure it hurt sometimes, but it never held any negative emotions for Toothless. Well it sure did now! It was a sick reminder of all that he'd lost, one that was easily ignored any other time and that only bothered him when the rain would bring that damp chill.

Yes, Toothless truly hated the rain.

_Now that it's over_

_I just wanna hold her_

_I'd give up all the world to see_

_That little piece of heaven lookin' back at me_

_Now that it's over_

_I just wanna hold her_

_I've gotta live with the choices I've made_

_But I can't live with myself today_

A/N: I don't normally put lyrics in fics (I think it's actually against the rules) but I JUST heard this song today, and it fit so well, I had to put it at the end. It won't happen again! *dodges tomatoes* The song is 'Lucy' by Skillet.

Hmm. More over-emotional Sakura. Bah. Whatever. She calms down later. And return of the Toothless angst! There really wasn't enough in the last chapter for my tastes.

One more thing before I wrap this note up, just be forewarned, the next couple of chapters (like, chapter six or so) are going to be a little OC heavy. But for good reason! It's all in the name of plot development! They don't stick around long though. Like, one chapter. One of them tags along until the end, but that's it.

**Review!**


	5. Chapter 5

**EDIT:** I REALLY need you guys to go back and read chapter four. I missed something vital to the plot and had to add it in. So if you haven't already, could you please do that? Thanks!

A/N: Not much to say here, other than that you guys are awesome as always. And remember, please review! They motivate me to write more!

Enjoy chapter five!

Chapter 5

The days passed quietly for Toothless. The girl had stopped coming in the afternoons, leaving him on his own. Not that he minded. In fact, he preferred it. He was not made to enjoy company; he was the mighty Night Fury! The gods had built him to be alone, to lead a solitary existence. They hadn't wanted anything to taint their "weapon". His only purpose was to _exist_. At least until Ragnarok. Toothless knew this, and never questioned it.

Well, there was _one_ time. It was when the dragon had questioned a _lot_ regarding his existence, and the only time he had ever questioned his mortality.

The day was vivid in his mind; his human – his _Hiccup_ – standing over him, flimsy little knife in hand, looking for all the world a blood-thirsty viking. Oh how his father would have positively _glowed_ at the sight of his son. The dragon had really feared for his life, not yet knowing of his immortality. But it wasn't to be. The boy's heart was too soft, and he cared too much. He had let the dragon go.

Toothless had no idea what had caused the young viking to return, to come searching for him. What ever the case, he was grateful. If the boy hadn't come, simply pushing the encounter to the back of his mind... Toothless tried not to think of what would have become of him.

Would the Gods, his _creators, _have let him die? He doubted it. He had a grand purpose! A place in the grand scheme of things! They wouldn't have let him _die_.

Or maybe they would have. They might have seen him as a failure and simply created another beast to take his place at the end of the world.

Somewhere along the line, the dragon had indeed failed. He had let himself be touched by that human. Hiccup had softened the beast, turning him into nothing more than a simpering puppy at the slightest touch. So did that mean that the Gods had forsaken him?

He certainly thought they had. How could they leave him here when he was in so much pain? Couldn't they see he was suffering? What a cruel punishment...

That was it, wasn't it? This was the hell that he was allotted; his punishment for getting too close to the humans. They knew that he couldn't kill himself; it was impossible! Nothing could kill him. He knew from experience. He _had_ tried. Oh, how he had tried...

* * *

_Looking down, Toothless could see the entire island of Berk laid out beneath him. He stood on the highest peak in Berk, masked by the pitch blackness of the night. No one had seen him leave; if they had, they would have surely stopped him. But now, there was no one here to stop him. He wasn't scared. In fact, he was somewhat... happy. Happy at the prospect of seeing Hiccup again. _

_Behind him, the village sprawled out, the inhabitants all sound asleep in their beds. To his left and right lay dense forest. The idea of throwing himself down there was appealing, but he knew from experience that it wouldn't work. No, the only thing he could think of were the rapids in front of him. Nothing could survive that fall. _

_He tucked his wings in and took a deep breath. _Here I come, Hiccup, _he thought as he took a step forward. Springing off the edge of the peak, he hurled himself at the rapids below. _

_The first thing he felt was the water, bone-chilling and cruel. He tumbled and turned, tossed about by the waves. The next thing was the rocks, ripping and tearing at his scales. Finally, his head met something hard, and all he knew was black..._

_Disappointment overwhelmed him when he woke up. _

_He wasn't supposed to wake up. Not here anyways, not the on the shores of Berk. _

_Dim sunlight had started on the horizon, outlining a dark figure hovering over him. The first thought that crossed the dragon's mind was that it was his human's father. Upon getting his wits about him, the dragon knew exactly who this was, and it was certainly no human._

_It was Thor. _

"_Dimma*! Have you gone mad?" His voice was thunderous, echoing off the island in the guise of real thunder. _

_The dragon hung his head. "No."_

"_Then do tell, what possessed you to jump off that cliff? Don't tell me you have forgotten your purpose just because of that human boy." Lightning crackled in the sky above him. _

_Shame overcame the dragon. "Of course not, father."_

_The god nodded. "Good."_

_And then he was gone, leaving the Night Fury alone and depressed. It was another hour or so before anyone found him. The human girl – Astrid, he kept reminding himself – coaxed him back to the village. She had taken it upon herself to take care of him since his human's death._

"_Come on, you have to eat something," she pleaded. Her cheeks were stained with tears that she only showed around him. Upon realizing what he'd done, she'd sobbed uncontrollably._

_I don't want to, he thought as he stared blankly at the fish. But upon looking at the girl, the only other being on this island who seemed to share his pain, he decided that maybe – just maybe – he'd stay alive... for now. _

* * *

But his time never came. Every attempt was stopped or failed. Nothing worked. Eventually, he just gave up and waited for Ragnarok. He wasn't the same dragon that he was before. No, he was empty now. But one aspect of his personality stuck around; his curiosity. And along with it, a hunger for knowledge. Hiccup had this... thirst for knowledge that inspired the dragon. Toothless wanted to learn so that maybe, _just maybe_, if they ever met again, he could teach the human boy everything he learned, everything the world had to offer.

But everything else was dead and gone.

* * *

Sakura had all but given up. It had been a week since she had last seen the dragon, letting her life become consumed with work and sleep. Her older sister, Temperance, was not impressed. In fact, she was downright _pissed_.

She banged on the smaller girl's bedroom door. "Sakura!"

"Go away," was the muffled response from within.

"Um, NO. Let me in Sakura," she snapped, black curls bouncing furiously.

"Let yourself in." A smile could be heard in the words, serving only to make Temp more angry.

"Ugh! Right, because the charm on this door is your average charm. I know for a _fact_ that you charmed this door using _his_ charm. Now let me _in_!" She pounded harder at the door, nearly falling in when it suddenly opened. A disgruntled Sakura sat moodily on her bed, glaring at her sister.

"Happy?" she asked rhetorically, a sarcastic gracing her face for a moment.

"Not really," replied Temp. "Anyways, you can't just stay in here forever."

"I know that. I don't plan on it either," she stated as she flopped back onto her bed.

"Oh? So when do you plan on joining the real world again?" Temp placed a hand on her hip, staring her younger half-sister down.

"Dunno," Sakura replied, voice muffled by pillows.

Temp sighed. "Well Troy has an errand for you to run. He needs you to run to the market and pick up a book he ordered from Alexander's."

"Why can't you do it?" Sakura's head lifted off the pillows to look at the taller girl.

"Because I'm leaving to go spend the day with Tyler," she said simply. "And you need to get out of the house."

Sakura thought for a moment. "Is it still raining?"

"Of course it is. It isn't supposed to let up until Monday. At least it's just a drizzle," added Temp, hoping to convince her sister to leave the house.

Sighing, Sakura sat up. "Fine. I'll go." she said quietly.

"Awesome!" Temp grinned. "The twins were starting to worry."

"I figured," she said as she stood up and walked over to her closet. "Anyways, could you leave? I have to change."

"Aw, is little Sakura afraid of me seeing her naked? How cute!" Temperance howled in laughter, narrowly dodging a pillow on her way out.

Sakura stared blankly at her wardrobe after her sister had left. Nothing stood out to her, demanding to be worn. Her glance flicked to the small make-up kit on the dresser. Deciding against makeup, she grabbed a pair of jeans, a black tee, and a navy hoodie for good measure.

On her way out the door, Temperance threw a small wallet at her. "What's this for?" she asked.

"Um, _the book_? Troy doesn't expect you to pay for it yourself," said Temp with a laugh.

"Ah. Right. Thanks," Sakura said as she opened the door, bracing herself for the rain outside.

It certainly wasn't the downpour it had been last week. Slightly grateful, she turned down the sidewalk, heading for main street and headed for the market that took place on Saturday mornings. Normally, they set up on the sidewalks with tables, showing off wares, trinkets, fruits and vegetables, baked goods, clothes, anything you wanted. Today, they had set up tents over their tables to shelter the merchandise.

In all honesty, Sakura didn't like crowds. When she was a child, people would stare and murmur, casting the odd sneer and sending the odd jab her way. In her small town, everyone knew everyone and news would travel fast, gossip even faster. As a child, most people would turn up their noses at her.

She was the Ross mistake. If you could call her a Ross. Her _rightful_ last name was Takahata, like her father. She was the illegitimate child of a very popular lawyer and a man she didn't even know at the time.

A rock collided with her forehead out of nowhere. Whipping her head around, Sakura searched for her assailant. A boy not much older than she was stood in the mouth of an alley, laughing. "Come get me, _freak_!" He howled in laughter before retreating into the alley. With a sigh, Sakura turned back to the task at hand. Nothing would be gained from humoring the boy.

Finally, she reached her destination; a small booth outside a bookstore. Behind the table sat a blonde-haired girl whose hands seemed to be glued to the slider phone she was holding.

"Um, hello?" Sakura tried.

The girl glanced up. "What do you want?"

Taken slightly aback, Sakura pulled out the wallet Temp had given her. "I'm here to pick up a book for Troy Ross?"

That got the girl's attention. Sakura rolled her eyes. Of course it did! Troy was only the school heartthrob, too popular for his own good. "Of course," said the girl, "I'll go in and get it for you!" She dashed inside, fingers moving furiously across the keypad of her phone. No doubt Tweeting or Facebooking about this newest happening. With another roll of her eyes, Sakura glanced at the books sprawled out over the table. Most were pretty old and very used. All of them were spellbooks.

She thumbed through the pages of a red moleskin journal, noting the encryption with interest. Written in Gaelic as a storybook. Clever. The next one, a blue leather-bound book, was written in Sanskrit as a song. A green one next to it was in ancient runes and was a cook book. With a smile, she but it down. Of course the languages meant nothing to her; she could read them all easily. But even with her gift, the codes weren't easy to crack. Picking up a deep purple book – written in Dutch as a series of limericks – a small black moleskin journal caught her eye.

The front was written in fading gold characters that she could have read without her gift. In Japanese kanji were the words "Three Day Spell". Picking it up, she opened to a random page.

The words inside startled her. Each paragraph was a different language, and the diagrams were all of complex magic circles. What was even more intriguing was that it wasn't encrypted. At all.

"Here's the book," chirped the blonde girl, snapping Sakura out of her thoughts.

"Oh! Uh, thanks." She dug around in the small wallet for the cash and handed it to the girl. "Um, how much for this one?" She held up the black book.

The girl thought for a moment. "Five bucks? It's been here forever. No one can get past the first page without a headache."

Sakura bit back a laugh. "Deal," she said handing over a five-dollar bill.

When she got back to the house, she deposited the books on the table, not even bothering to comment on her sister still being present in the house.

"You look happy," Temp said.

"Found a new book," replied Sakura, opening the fridge door.

Temp picked up the small black book. "Three Day Spell, huh? What's it for?"

"No clue. But they wanted to get rid of it, so I bought it. If it's useless, I'll just give it to Art. He likes spell books."

Thumbing through the pages, Temp couldn't make out any of it. With a shrug, she put it down. "Good luck with that one."

"Heh, thanks," Sakura muttered, chomping down on an apple.

When Sakura got back up to her room, she cracked open the book. The more she read, the less it looked like a book of spells and the more it looked like a complex ritual. It took her hours to get through the first five pages, her brain having to work harder to switch between languages. Of course it didn't help that the writing was terrible and scribbly.

But when she finally figured out what the purpose of the book was, she nearly dropped it.

It was a spell for temporarily raising the dead.

* * *

A/N: AHA! *jumps for joy* Here's to finishing chapters at one in the morning! I wanted to write more, but this seemed to be such a _nice_ place to leave it. (I seriously am on a roll, so I'm starting Six like, RIGHTNOW, so expect it soon) And I split it down the middle, POV-wise, instead of chopping it up. Believe it or not, both sections are equal in words! Dialogue just takes up twice as much space... *facepalm*

So, a little look into Sakura and her past. I honestly could write an entire book on her life – and in fact I did for NaNoWriMo – but I think I managed to get the idea of it across. If you understand that not many people like her and that she doesn't have the same father as Temp and Troy, you're golden.

I guess it's kind of obvious where I'm taking this, huh? But don't worry, it won't be smooth sailing, not at all. I have a few curve balls up my sleeve.

*Dimma is Darkness in Icelandic. It seemed appropriate.

Please remember to review!

~Hanyou.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Well aren't you guys spoiled! I've been stuck at home with the cold from hell, so I decided to be productive. Not much angst this time, just mostly moving the plot along. Next chapter for sure!

Enjoy and remember to review!

Chapter 6

Toothless groaned when the human girl returned. Silently, he prayed for her not to try to talk to him. He was still lounging in the shelter, hiding from the rain. Upon her arrival, the girl plunked herself down in the pile of hay in the corner and cracked open a small black book with what seemed to be a new-found fervor. He stared at the girl and her sudden change in attitude.

Something disturbed him though, about that little black book. Approaching cautiously, he sniffed at it, nudging it slightly. The girl pushed him away gently. "_What do you want, Toothless? I'm busy."_

"_I don't like that book..."_ he replied with a snort.

It reeked of black magic.

She sighed. _"Well, I have a feeling you're not going to dislike it for long,"_ she practically sang.

Toothless cocked his head to the side. "_Oh?"_

Nodding, she marked her page. _"With any luck, you'll be able to see your rider again."_

The dragon stumbled back slightly. Surely she was messing with him! There was no way to see his Hiccup again, it was as simple as that. Unless she was implying that she was going to attempt both the highly dangerous and highly illegal feat of raising the dead. _"You're not serious, are you?"_

She smiled. _"Oh, I'm dead serious. I've managed to read most of this, and it sounds like I might just have the magic muscle to pull this off."_

Toothless fixed her with an incredulous look. _"But it's illegal. And dangerous."_

Nodding again, she replied, _"I know that. But if this works, I may be able to bring you just a small amount of happiness. If I can manage that much, the risk will have been worth it."_

He was slightly... touched. She was willing to risk a lot to help him. _"Why are you doing this?"_

With a sigh, she returned to her book. _"I have my reasons."_

Toothless gave a nod, respecting her privacy - something that the girl could learn from. _"Let me know if I can help with anything."_

"_Will do,"_ she responded with a smile, turning a page in her book.

* * *

Of all the humans who had ever tried to help him, this one had certainly gone the farthest. She was willing to dabble in the forbidden to help him. She was either a dare-devil or just plain insane. Everyday, she'd come, black book in tow, and read. Occasionally, she took notes and scribbled diagrams in a small notebook of her own.

It was a week before she reached the end of the book. She flipped to the last page with a giddy sort of glee and turned to him. _"Last page, Toothless! This will be the page that decides whether or not I can do this..."_

His head shot up and watched her closely. Her tongue was tucked between her teeth, concentrating hard on the words before her. Toothless wasn't terribly knowledgeable in the area of spellbooks, but he did know that most mages and wizards wrote their findings and results on the last page, as well as placing their signature at the very bottom. It really was the defining moment in this whole plan.

The deciding moment of whether or not he'd see Hiccup again. The idea seemed far-fetched, but not impossible. Magic could do many things. Of course, there was no way to _permanently_ raise the dead. It was just plain impossible. But this... sounded promising, from what the girl had told him. It was a temporary spell, lasting only three days, but the logic was sound.

Speaking of the girl... her expression was not one that he liked.

* * *

There was no way that translating the book should have taken her a week. But it did. It was a horrible, pain-staking week. By the third day, she'd developed a headache from her brain working overtime. Every paragraph _had_ to be different, and every diagram almost too complex to understand.

But she got through it. Not without argument, though. When Artemis found out about her plan, he'd ripped her a new one.

"Are you insane? This is _highly_ illegal! Sakura, you could be sentenced to _death_ for this!" He'd yelled. And Artemis never yelled.

Sakura shrugged. "So? I just won't get caught. Easy-peasy," she said as she sat at the Flynn table one afternoon.

Artemis rolled his eyes. "And you don't think the council won't find out about this? Sakura, I'm pretty sure after last semester's fiasco they're keeping pretty close tabs on your magic."

"Uh-huh. So by the time they get here, it'll be too late and they'll witness a miracle," replied the short girl. Artemis groaned. She was getting so freaking _cocky_.

Grumbling, he looked away. "I think I liked you better when you were a blob. You were easier to handle."

Sakura bit her tongue, trying not to bite Artemis' head off. "Who said I needed to be handled?"

"Well you're obviously delusional, thinking you can pull off a spell like this." His gray eyes were hard as he looked at her.

She shrugged. "Fine. Think what you want. But I'm doing this for Toothless, no matter what."

And with that she'd stormed out of the kitchen and headed for the shelter in Toothless' enclosure.

Now here she sat, reading the final page.

And the results looked promising. As far as she could tell, the spell had a seventy percent success rate – not great, but workable – and no adverse effects had come from the spell. Upon reaching the bottom, she noticed that the signature was missing. _Must have run out of room..._ she thought as she flipped the page, looking at the backside of the very last page.

There were two signatures there.

Two horribly, awfully familiar signatures.

With a cynical snort, she slammed the book shut. _"It's a go, Toothless. Tomorrow, we make the circle."_

* * *

He could have jumped for joy. It was going to work! He was going to see Hiccup again! This was almost too good to be true.

Now Toothless wasn't a very optimistic dragon. Not in the least. While too good to be true, there had to be something wrong. It was going too smoothly. There had to be something they'd missed, something that the girl had overlooked.

Then again, maybe the Gods were allowing him some form of happiness.

Ha. As if. The Gods weren't that kind, not his creators anyways.

No, something was going to go wrong. It was just a matter of time before the obstacle presented itself. For now, Toothless waited and watched as the girl made preparations for the following afternoon.

* * *

Sakura set her books on the table once she got home, her mind buzzing with preparations for the spell. If she managed to pull this off it would be a miracle. But she really had to try.

The spell itself was surprisingly simple, comprising of three things: A soul, a body created from the data contained in the soul, and the magic force used to temporarily bind the soul to the body. The body in and of itself was simple, as all the elements needed would be taken from Mother Nature and would be returned after the third day. Sakura herself would supply the magic force used to bind the soul to the body.

There were two snags however. The first one was the soul. Granted, she was the daughter of a medium, but that didn't mean she had been gifted with the ability to call back souls. That was Temperance's forte. But if the boy's soul had been sent to Helheim... well, that made the whole plan pretty much moot. No one came back from Helheim, not even Gods.

The second was the sheer energy needed to start the whole reaction was tremendous. The book talked of using the energy of the caster, taking a few days off of their lifespan. Sakura had a theory, however, that involved the energy contained within the Earth itself.

She would tackle the first one today. Luckily, Temp had stuck around for the day.

"Hey, Temp," she started, walking into the living room and approaching her sister.

The curly-haired girl looked at her younger sister, eyes narrowing in suspicion. "What do you want?|

"Who says I want anything?" Sakura bluffed.

"Your eyes do. Now what do you want?" Temp replied shrewdly.

Sakura bit her lip lightly. "I need a favor."

Temperance nodded. "I figured as much. What is it?"

"I kinda need you to bring back the soul thousand-year-old dead guy that may actually be trapped in Helheim." The words came out as one long garbled word, mashing together. She closed her eyes tight, preparing herself for the loud lecture that was sure to follow.

The older girl was stunned. "And why do you need me to call back someone like that?"

Sakura fidgeted, grateful her sister hadn't yelled. "Eh..."

Temp stood up, facing her sister. "You're doing something illegal, aren't you?"

Grinning guiltily, Sakura nodded. "I can't lie to you, so, yeah I am."

"Nuh-uh. Not a chance. I won't do it, sis!" She shook her head.

"Aw, come on Temp! If I get caught I won't rat you out, I swear!" Sakura pleaded, "Please? I really need you for this one."

Gritting her teeth, Temp thought for a moment. "Fine. But you had better not get me tangled up in all of this."

"Got it," said Sakura with a broad smile.

They headed out to the backyard, Temp standing right in the middle and concentrating hard. "Where did you say he died?"

"Somewhere in Scandinavia? A place called Berk." Sakura shrugged, giving the only info Toothless had given her.

"Works for me. I know where Berk is, so that's a good starting point," she responded, eyes slipping out of focus as she groped around the spirit realm, hunting for the young viking boy. "What was his name?"

"Eh... Hiccup?" Sakura offered. These people had really odd names...

Temp nodded, silently calling out for the boy. Finally, something materialized in front of Temperance, and Sakura let out a breath she didn't even know she'd been holding.

Before them stood a translucent boy with a mop of auburn hair and eyes that were a leafy green. He looked quite confused. "Um. Hello?"

Temp frowned, unable to understand the boy. Once again, Sakura thanked what ever deity happened to be listening for her gift. "Hello, Hiccup," she said softly.

This was going to go well... right?

* * *

The following day, Toothless watched as the human girl pulled a large black tarp out of the shelter. The sun had decided to shine, so she worked outside. Both of them enjoyed the warmth of the sun, finally thawing out the last of the chill the rain had brought. Well, at least Toothless did. The girl seemed to not like the scorching heat, wearing as little as possible and shaking her head at him lounging in the direct heat of the sun. He was a dragon! Of course he enjoyed the heat. Just because her little fleshy body couldn't take the heat, didn't mean that he couldn't enjoy it. So, she worked away at the circle in the shade of his tree.

Deciding that this particular part of the process was entirely too boring, Toothless settled down for a good snooze.

* * *

_He was flying again. This time, it wasn't Berk, but the mountain ranges that currently surrounded him. His Hiccup sat proudly upon his back, controlling the fin as though no time had passed at all. Happily, they darted between mountains at break-neck speeds, laughing in the face of danger as they used to._

_Both running on adrenalin alone, they flew higher and higher still, careful of the barrier that surrounded them. Oh how he wanted to just fly away with his human and never come back, to steal him away from the world. _

_But they had a time limit, didn't they? Three days. That's what the book had said. Three days, and he'd be back to being his brooding self. Three days longer than he would have had if not for the girl. _

_For that, he owed her a lot..._

* * *

Toothless woke quietly, watching placidly as the girl sketched away at the large circle. The light had grown dim outside the shelter, suggesting that night was about to fall. Just how long had he slept for?

"_Welcome back to the living. Have a good nap?"_ The girl glanced up at him, her words tentative. She was still nervous about striking up conversation with him. And for good reason; it never usually ended well for her. It wasn't his fault that she talked at the most inopportune times! At least she had learned to keep her babbling to a minimum.

"_Yes, I enjoyed my nap, thank you,"_ he replied curtly. _"How's the circle coming along?_"

She sighed. _"Slow, but it's going good." _She was covered in a light dusting of white chalk and the odd spatter of white paint.

Toothless nodded once and lay his head back down on his forepaws. That's all he needed to hear. Looking out the opening of the shelter he watched the sun begin to fall behind the mountains. Not that it had offered much light lately, as the rainclouds often blocked most of the sunlight. Darkness soon came and engulfed the small valley.

That's when he felt them. There were other beings in his enclosure. And they certainly weren't welcome. Toothless noted, somewhat impressed, that the girl could feel them as well. Slowly, both of them rose to their feet, the girl backing towards him. He bared his fangs, emitting a deep growl. There were approximately nine of them, all blocking any available entrance or exit. _"Toothless?" _tried the girl.

"_What?" _he snapped back, his wings unfurling upon instinct. He hissed and spat at their invisible enemies.

"_I think we're screwed..."_

* * *

A/N: Oh boy am I EVER on a roll! Two chapters in one day? Insanity, I say!

One quick thing about Temp before I wrap this up, just in case this question pops up; Temp's gift is to be able to detect lies. Being a medium is just the ability she got from her mother (Sakura wasn't lucky enough to inherit it).

Also, this will be useful to know for the next chapter: "Wizard" is the standard level of magic, like a starter level. "Mage" is the next step up, and is only reached once a wizard's magical ability reaches a certain point. Usually this happens over time, but in some cases it happens because of a great magical strain. Most – about 70% - don't reach this level.

Don't look at me like that, I have a lot of time on my hands.

Review!

~Hanyou


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Hey guys, you're going to have to go back and read chapter four. Narilyte (among others) managed to point out a MAJOR flaw in my plot, one that has a ridiculously easy fix. I really do apologize for this, guys. So if you could just go have a look at chapter four, it would mean a lot (and answer a lot of questions).

... done? Great! On with our regular chapter update!

Random fact: Sakura keeps at least five small throwing knives on her at all times. Why? Sheer paranoia. Where does she keep them? No one knows...

Enjoy!

Chapter 7

They were surrounded by invisible enemies. Both the dragon and the girl could feel them, and both put up their best defence. It was unnerving, not knowing where their enemies stood.

Footsteps near the entrance caught their attention, a dark figure moving slowly towards them. Toothless growled and snapped, subconsciously curling himself around the girl; he could smell her fear. He wasn't worried about his own life, as he was certain that he could not die at their hands. But the girl could. Who knew what their attackers were capable of, if they were able to kill a child such as she. And he'd be damned if they were going to get her! He _needed_ her here. She was his last hope in ever seeing his Hiccup again.

"Oh Sakura, how long did you think you could keep this up?" The voice came the figure at the entrance. He stepped forward, his face becoming clearer in the dim light of the dusk. A young face, not even out of his twenties, and dark eyes set above a cold smile.

The girl shook slightly beside the dragon. "Hello, Dmitri," she replied simply.

There was no warning. Eight hounds jumped out of nowhere, ambushing the two. Toothless had no problem pushing them away, his large wingspan and long tail an asset to him. The girl, however, was not so lucky.

She had managed to produce a pair of throwing knives out of nowhere, but in her haste she missed miserably. The dark beasts clawed and nipped at her arms and face, and she did all she could to fight them off. Nothing worked. They were almost the same size as she was, and twice as strong.

Toothless growled at one clinging off his neck. _"Stand DOWN, you mutt!"_ He sent it flying into a wall as he moved to snap at another. They didn't give up. _Persistent bastards,_ he thought as he kicked another off. He chanced a glance back at the human girl.

The one called Dmitri caught her from behind, holding her hands behind her back and forcing her to the ground. She struggled against him, but it was no use.

Before he could see anything else, all of the hounds piled on top of him, forcing him to the ground. With a cry, he hit the dust, his wings and tail pinned beneath strong claws.

Then everything went black.

* * *

Sakura knew they were horribly screwed the moment Dmitri appeared with his hounds. Nothing could escape him and his team; not even Toothless. Well, _maybe_ he could, were he able to fly. Obviously, that wasn't happening.

She took her best fighting stance – mentally reminding herself to thank her teacher when she saw him next – and prepared for the ambush. Locking eyes with Dmitri, she shuddered. His eyes were as black as the team of beasts he commanded.

Ironic, considering he was a Dark Hunter. He was like a one-man police unit, searching out and arresting people dabbling in or practising the Black Arts. This was a situation Sakura never saw herself in. Normally Dmitri was a docile man, mild in temper and manners. But now he was just downright terrifying.

The beasts came out of nowhere, seeming to materialize out of the shadows. Nothing she did fended them off; spells were futile and she lacked the brute strength to overpower them. In Sakura's struggle, Dmitri had come up behind her, pulling her arms behind her and knocking her onto her knees. With one last glance at Toothless, she saw him being pushed to the ground by the hounds.

There was sharp pain at the back of her head and blackness consumed her.

* * *

Toothless woke to a very hard floor and a reinforced leather strap around his head, forcing his mouth to remain shut. His wings ached, being pinned to his sides by another strap. Shackles wrapped around each ankle, chaining him to the wall.

Everything reeked of magic.

The girl was nowhere to be seen, sending a small wave of panic through him. They didn't kill her did they? A growl rumbled deep in his throat, alerting the guard outside his cell. _Where's the girl?_

The man merely looked at him for a moment before turning around. "Yo, Dmitri! The beast is awake!" he called down a hallway.

The black figure from before sauntered into view. "Hello dragon," he said, acid dripping off the small sentence. "I'm going to give you two options."

Toothless growled again, fixing the man with the fiercest stare he could muster and baring his teeth.

He laughed. "Yes, I know you're intelligent. Now, you can behave nicely and I'll let you go..."

The dragon lunged, snarling at the man. _As if I'd behave._ The chains prevented him from getting too close.

"Or you can act like that and remain with Sakura." He eyed the dragon. "I know you want your freedom."

With a snort, Toothless laughed in his own way. _He speaks of freedom. What freedom? I haven't had freedom since my Hiccup died. And my only chance at freedom is being held captive by HIM._ He growled once more at the man for good measure.

With a fake sigh, the man turned around. "Fine. Have it your way. Enjoy your captivity!" And he sauntered out, waving over his shoulder as he went.

Shortly after, the girl was pushed roughly down the hallway and into the cell. She landed on the cement with a fleshy thud. And didn't get up. She just lay there, shivering. Not that he was surprised. They'd put her in some sort of prison garb resembling a grey-blue potato sack with straps to keep it up. It didn't look terribly warm.

Toothless nudged at her with his nose. _"Human girl... come on you're stronger than that..."_ Surprising even himself, he meant it.

With a groan, she sat up. _"Damn straight I am."_

He sighed. Not cocky at all. Nope.

The guard banged on the bars of the cell. "Hey kid, if I were you, I'd start preparing myself."

"Uh, why?" she asked dumbly.

"The Sealer is coming," he said with a smug grin.

Toothless looked at her questioningly. What on Earth was a "Sealer"? All of the colour drained out of the girl's face, sheer panic overcoming her.

What ever a Sealer was, it wasn't good.

* * *

All Sakura knew when she woke up was cold air. Opening her eyes, she saw nothing but cold grey cement. Painfully, she pushed herself off the ground into a sitting position.

"Hey, Dmitri! She's awake!"

She groaned, knowing exactly where she was. This was the counsel's prison hold where convicts awaiting trial stayed. She'd been here once before, and hoped to never come back.

A bundle of cloth landed in front of her. Looking up, she saw the looming figure of Dmitri. "What's this?"

"Your new outfit," he replied with some sort of sick satisfaction. "Take everything you're currently wearing off, leaving all _weapons_ on top."

She gaped at him. "Everything?"

"_Everything_."

"Fine, but you have to turn around," she commanded. "I don't need your pervy eyes all over me."

With a shrug, he turned around and she got to changing.

And probably set the world record for it. In under a minute she had removed all her garments and her three remaining knives, and thrown on the sack. It was a revolting grey-blue, with a huge gap in the back that ended just past her shoulder blades, revealing four circular marks. It was baggy enough that it could probably have fit two of her falling just past her knees. Glancing at the hoodie she'd been wearing, she saw the spellbook poking out of a pocket. Ha. They hadn't even noticed it was still on her. Of course it wasn't all that big, only about length of her hand, and a little wider.

_I'm going to need that later, if I have any hope of getting out of here_, she thought. _But where to keep it..._ Sakura glanced at the black strap that had formerly been around her stomach, concealing one of the three knives. Frowning in thought she picked it up, and slipped it back around her stomach, tucking the book in the front, pulling the poor excuse for clothing over it. Nothing showed, much to her pleasure. She smiled.

Dmitri snorted at her back, causing her to jump.

"Nice Marks. Wish I had that many," he commented snidely, knowing it was a weak spot for her.

She grumbled and kicked her clothes at him. "No you don't."

"Grass is greener, sweetheart. Thanks for the knives by the way. Yami's handy-work, I'm guessing?" He examined the blades.

"Yes..." _And he's going to kill me for losing them,_ she thought as she was pulled roughly out of her cell by the guard. Dmitri left, taking her clothes with him.

As she was pulled down the dim hallway, Sakura tried to ignore the catcalls from the convicts in surrounding cells. _Disgusting perverts..._

Finally, she was pushed into a cell at the very end.

She was finding out that cement was very unforgiving. Shivering, she felt a nudge at her stomach. _"Human girl... you're stronger than this..."_

Sitting up, she snorted. _"Damn straight I am."_ She looked up to see Toothless, bound and chained. With a quiet whimper she glanced over the straps and chains, knowing that, even though he was a dragon, they were going to start to ache and chafe after a while.

A bang on the bars of the cage caught both their attention. "Hey kid, I'd prepare myself if I were you."

Sakura frowned. "Why?"

"The Sealer is coming right away," he said with an odd sort of glee in his voice.

The bottom fell out of Sakura's stomach and her hand went instinctively to her shoulder. Toothless nudged her again. _"What's a Sealer?"_

Sakura tried to find the words to describe Sealers to the dragon...

* * *

_Before describing a Sealer's job, you have to know what they're sealing first. _

_Each wizard has two things: A gift and a talent. Gifts are typically random, popping up at any given time, for any given reason. Nobody has figured out the reasoning behind them, so they are generally just accepted as a part of life. A wizard may or may not develop a gift. _

_Talents are hereditary, passed from parent to child. They usually manifest themselves when the wizard is very young, about five. They represent the magic that the wizard harbours. _

_Both gifts and talents leave Marks on wizards. They are represented with a circular symbol on the person's back, usually about two fingers in diameter. _

_Other things that leave Marks are curses, becoming soulbound to someone, or becoming a Mage. _

_Usually, the more Marks you have, the further up in the Wizarding classes you are. Children usually have one, most wizards only ever developing two over their lifespans. _

_Mages typically have three, followed by council members who can have four or more._

_If you have more than three, you're either cursed or blessed depending on what Marks you have and your perspective. _

_Now, back to the topic at hand: Sealers. They are the last person you want to meet if you're ever in a wizard's prison. They have the ability to rip Marks and the abilities they represent right from the host. _

_Sounds easy, right?_

_Not at all. The process is painful, and especially bad if you're soul bound to anyone._

* * *

Toothless simply nodded, understanding. Made sense. Ripping the abilities from prisoners rendered them pretty much harmless.

But he felt horrible for the girl. But surely she only had two, like most wizard teens? _"How many Marks do you have?"_

She gritted her teeth and looked away. _"I have four of the damn things." _Looking at the dragon's expression, she snorted. _"Yeah, I know. It's a lot. Trust me, if I had it my way, I'd only have two like other kids."_

Toothless was about to reply when a dark presence caught his attention.

Framed by the dim light in the hallway, a man walked towards them, carrying four marble tablets. His very aura was dark. Toothless growled low at the stranger.

* * *

Temperance sat uncomfortably on her living room couch, watching the viking boy sift through their bookshelves. He'd been there a day or so, wandering around the house and looking at various objects. Sakura had placed a translation charm on the two, something similar to her own powers, allowing for them to communicate.

But the boy never said anything. He just... wandered around looking at stuff! She thought he'd at least do normal ancient ghost-like things, like check out the TV or marvel at the sink. But no! The BOOKS interested him.

The girl couldn't take it anymore. "Augh!" she cried in frustration.

The boy's head whipped around, looking at her in surprise. "What? What's wrong?"

"You!" she replied. "You're... unnerving."

He frowned. "How am I unnerving?"

"Ugh! _That!_" She gestured at him.

"You just gestured to all of me," he said flatly.

"_Exactly_! Why are you so _calm_?" She looked at him, hoping for an answer.

"Why wouldn't I be? There's nothing unusual about your house. You have a TV, running water, fridge..." He motioned to all of the named objects in turn. "The only unusual thing I see here is you freaking out."

Temperance sputtered. "How do you know what those things are?"

"Because I've seen them before?" Hiccup offered, unsure of where this was going.

"You mean, Berk has these things too?" Temperance marvelled at the viking boy.

He nodded. "Yup. Berk has been moving right along with the times. Mind you, we're still deeply rooted in our viking heritage."

She flopped on the couch. "Well I never would have guessed." With a smile she looked up at the boy. "I think we got off on the wrong foot. I'm Temperance Ross."

The boy smiled. "I'm Hiccup. Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third," he said.

Temperance laughed. "Oh man, and I thought my name was bad..."

"Hey," Hiccup started, a playful grin on his face, "bad names scare away trolls, you know."

"Then I think we're both safe," Temp replied stretching out on the couch. "So Berk even has magic?"

Hiccup nodded. "Some. We prefer to do things the viking way, but it does exist."

Temperance hummed thoughtfully. "What's it like to stay true to your roots?" she asked after a brief silence.

Hiccup shrugged. "Okay, I guess. Makes it easier to trace the family tree. Traditions are nice too. Why do you ask?"

Looking at Hiccup, Temp sighed. "Well, my family really hasn't bothered with old customs. My mother doesn't believe in stuff like that. It would be nice to just once get all dressed up and visit the family graves on New Years, and go to a shrine to pray for luck for next year..." she trailed off dreamily.

Hiccup wrinkled his nose. "I take it you have no traditions?"

"Nope. Nothing," she replied.

"That's... unfortunate," said Hiccup quietly. "I mean, I'm not really one to lecture about tradition! I broke a three-hundred-year long tradition of hunting dragons!"

Temp laughed. "Speaking of which; are you excited to see Toothless again?"

The boy seemed to be bubbling with excitement. "No, I'm really not," he responded dryly with a roll of his eyes. "Of course I am! I've been waiting a thousand years to go flying again."

"That's great," she responded with a smile. Glancing up at the clock, she frowned. _Now if Sakura isn't home soon, you may have to wait a little longer..._

* * *

A/N: Another 1-in-the-morning finish with 10% battery life. Phew!

I love Temp. She freaks out so easily. Also: before ANYONE asks! Yes, Hiccup can pick things up. Ghosts are known to be able to move things, so Hiccup can too. In this case: books.

Of course if you have questions (or notice a gaping plot hole... *kicks chapter four*) you know how to let me know!

Review!

~Hanyou


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Not much to say here. You guys are just too nice.

And in case you're wondering: I know exactly how this is going to end. So, no, I'm not planning as I go. Yay for planning?

Anyways, on with the story!

Chapter 8

Toothless continued to growl at their new visitor. He didn't like this new guy. _At all_. He felt a hand being placed on his nose and looked at the girl. _"What?"_

"Stop growling, Toothless. I know him; he's friendly," she said out loud, her eyes on the man.

"_You're not serious. Can't you feel the aura coming off this man?" _The dragon looked at her incredulously.

"Yes, I can, Toothless. He's fine, he won't hurt us. Well, not you anyways," she added looking at tablets he carried. "Hey, Yami." She didn't look him in the eyes.

Toothless looked at the man again. He certainly didn't look terribly threatening. In fact, he didn't look all that much older than the girl. The dragon still didn't like him. He was too... dark. Granted, Toothless was built for the darkness, but something about this man was, well, _demonic_. Remembering the darkness he'd felt in the girl before, Toothless noted that they were similar. Perhaps it was this man's magic that left traces on the girl...?

He walked easily to their cell, opened it up and entered as he motioned for the guard to leave. The guard made haste in his exit, his motives unclear to Toothless. The man fixed Sakura with a hard look, disappointment was evident in his expression. The girl looked away with shame painted on her own face.

* * *

_This day just keeps getting better,_ thought Sakura as she watched Yami open the door to their cell. "So when did you get this gig?" she asked quietly.

He fixed his amber eyes on her, and she felt about two inches tall. "Leon gave it to me last month. The last guy couldn't take the screaming," he replied evenly. "Now would you mind telling me why you're in here? _Again_."

Toothless turned to Sakura in surprise. _"Again? You never told me you had a record..."_

Yami looked at the dragon, understanding his words. _"She has a knack for attracting trouble."_

The dragon growled. _"You understand me as well? Never before have humans communicated with me, and now two humans in one summer! This is ridiculous!"_

The man laughed softly. _"Who said I'm human?"_

Teeth bared, he replied, _"I knew it. You ARE a demon."_

Yami nodded. _"Not a full demon; only half. My father was human."_

Toothless snorted and lay down, marking the end of the looked back to Sakura. "You lost my knives, I take it."

She snorted, mimicking the dragon. "You're worried about your knives. Why doesn't that surprise me?" She pulled her knees to her chest and stared at his feet. Plain black shoes. Like usual. His clothes were deceptively plain too; a black dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up and black slacks, with his long dark hair pulled back at the base of his neck. Nothing showed how horrible his job really was.

With a sigh, he knelt down in front of her, setting down the tablets. "No, I'm worried about you too. Why on Earth are you dabbling in dark magic?" He placed a hand on her shoulder, setting the tablets down on the ground.

"I'm trying to help him," Sakura replied, pointing to Toothless and avoiding eye contact with Yami.

"Can't you do it by means of normal magic? Sakura, this is so reckless," he said, trying to make eye contact with her.

Her eyes shot up, staring him strait in the eye, blue meeting amber in a sudden intensity. "Wasn't it you who taught me to always help those in need? He needs me, Yami. And this is the only way I can help him."

With a sigh, Yami nodded. "You're so stubborn. Just like your father."

With a cynical laugh, she nodded. "Ha. Yeah, no kidding, eh?" Yami placed a hand on her hair gently.

"Let's get this over with, okay?" his voice was soft. She nodded.

* * *

Toothless watched closely as the girl turned her back to the man. She did indeed have four Marks, all lined up neatly on her spine, starting at the base of her neck, all contained in circles. The top one was just a single symbol in kanji that the dragon couldn't read. The second one was an ornate key. The third was a dagger, and the fourth a star pentagon. He hadn't a single clue as to what they meant.

Once again, his curiosity won out. _"What do they all mean?" _he enquired.

The man looked at him. _"Would you like me to explain? I probably have more knowledge about these things than Sakura does."_

"_He's right,"_ she agreed. _"I may wear them, but I really don't know much about them."_

Toothless heaved a sigh. _"Fine, half demon. You explain them to me."_

He touched the first one gently. _"This is for her gift. It is the Japanese symbol for 'communicate'." _The next one, he glared at. _"This one binds her soul to another, marking her as his Keeper."_

Toothless stopped him. _"Keeper?"_

"_I'll explain later. It's too long and complicated to explain here."_ He touched the third one, the dagger. _"This is her talent; combative magic. She gets it from her father."_ The last one, he hesitated on. _"This..."_

The girl sighed impatiently. _"It Marks me as a freaking Mage."_ Her words were acid, the last word would have been spat, were it physically spoken. "Now can we get this over with?"

With a nod, the man picked up one of the marble tablets. They weren't very big, each side only about the width of three fingers, just big enough to cover the circular symbol. He placed it over the top Mark, the girl wincing at the touch.

"_Once he takes the top Mark,"_ spoke the girl with a small amount of unease, _"I won't be able to talk to you."_

"_I shall enjoy the silence,"_ Toothless replied, a hint of humor in his reply.

The girl gave a soft laugh as the man placed his palm on the tablet. "Ready?" the man asked.

"As I'll ever be..." She grit her teeth, her face scrunching up in anticipation of what was to come next.

A small light shone from beneath the tablet as the man spoke quick, soft words in a language the dragon thought to be Latin. The girl gave a quiet moan as her hands covered her face. When the man pulled the tablet away, Toothless could see a perfect reverse impression of her Mark. Left behind on her skin was an angry red outline where it had previously resided.

The man placed his hand on her shoulder. "Don't hold it in; it only makes it worse." His words were gentle, soothing. "Ready for the next one?"

She grunted. "Just do it."

Instead of going to the next one down, he skipped the key-like Mark, moving to the dagger. He repeated the process. The girl shook this time, curling in on herself. The man pulled the tablet away and rubbed her back below the last Mark. "Please don't pull away, Sakura. I won't be able to fix it if I only remove half."

Her frame shook with silent sobs. Toothless looked frantically at the man. _"Is she alright?"_

"_She certainly won't die, if that's what you're worried about."_ he replied darkly. _"This process is excruciating. I can't imagine the pain she must be in; and I haven't even removed the worst of the four."_

The dragon watched on with careful eyes as the man picked up the third tablet, placing it on the bottom Mark. He took a deep breath and repeated the process he's performed with the previous two. This time, the light glowed a light blue.

And the girl emitted a blood-curdling scream. The dragon jumped in surprise. He didn't think someone that small could make a noise so... chilling. It was a scream of pure pain. She sobbed harder, her breath coming in gasps. When the tablet was removed, she shuddered. The man moved beside her, and wrapped his arms around her, muttering soft words in her ear. "Only one left, love; only one left..."

The kindness that the man was exhibiting surprised Toothless. He hadn't thought that someone so _dark_ was capable of such things.

The girl shook her head. "No more... no more..." She shook her head. The dragon found himself worrying quite a bit for the girl. This wasn't right. The girl he had met over a month ago, the girl who walked with the air of a viking, was now crumpled in a sobbing heap. What if she was damaged mentally? Would she be able to perform the spell to bring his Hiccup back? This thought made him uneasy.

Finally, the man picked up the last tablet and placed it on the key Mark.

And the girl let loose a scream that put the last one to shame. The dragon covered his ears, not wanting to hear any more, not caring about the chains scratching roughly at his scales. He'd heard a lot in his ridiculously long lifetime, but nothing like this.

Finally the screaming stopped. The girl had passed out, shivering on the cold cement. The man approached the dragon with caution. Toothless looked into the man's eyes momentarily. He looked haunted, guilty of what he had just done.

"_Half demon, are you alright?"_ asked the dragon. The man certainly didn't look it.

"_I've performed that spell hundreds of times, grown men screaming like small children at my feet, and not once has it bothered me this deeply. This is not something I would ever have done willingly to her,"_ he responded as he reached for the bindings around Toothless' wings.

"_You care for her,"_ stated the dragon as he felt his wings be let free. He flexed them as best he could in the small area he was confined to.

The man smiled somewhat sadly. _"More than I care to admit, dragon."_

And with that, the man left. Toothless looked over to the girl. She shivered violently on the cold floor. He let out a small warble of dismay. _The last thing I need is her getting sick..._he thought moodily. With some manoeuvring, he managed to get the girl positioned comfortably at his side, his body curled around her. Carefully, he folded his wing over them both.

Gradually, the shaking stopped as she soaked up the dragon's warmth as the dragon let himself fall into a slumber.

* * *

The pain was unimaginable. With the first one, Sakura had managed to bite back the scream. "Don't hold it back," Yami said. Then the next one came, and she still held back the screams. Instead, sobs erupted from her mouth, betraying her. _Stay strong... show no pain, no fear..._The words played back in her head, over and over, a frantic mantra. What would Yami think if she gave in to the pain? He'd think her weak, a failure... Why did it have to be him? Why did he have to be here to see her weakness? To hear her screams and watch her break down?

Then the third one came. Every single nerve in her body went haywire as the magic was sucked out of her. Without warning, the scream she'd been desperately holding back came out, ringing loud in her own eardrums.

She couldn't take anymore. Her mind fogged over with the pain and she barely felt comforting arms wrapping around her. _No more... no more..._

The next one scared her. Getting it was painful enough, removing it would be even worse.

Without much warning, her entire being became pain. It felt as if her very soul was being torn, every inch of her body feeling as though it were covered in flame.

Then it was gone. Nothing. Not a thing. A cold blackness consumed her before she could think much further on the subject.

* * *

Toothless had lost all sense of what time of day it was. When he woke, he had no idea if it was day or night. All he knew was that someone was being very noisy, banging on something.

Metal. Metal bars. Of the cell. _Their_ cell.

He lifted his head groggily, looking at the source of the noise. The guard was going ballistic.

"Where is she? Where's the girl!" he demanded.

With a mild grumble, Toothless lifted his wing to reveal the girl. She was still curled up against his form, shivering at the intrusion of cold air.

The guard frowned. "I could have sworn we bound your wings, beast." But, not being the brightest bulb, the guard turned around, sat down in a chair and promptly fell asleep.

_For a high-security prison, we sure got dealt a lazy guard,_ thought Toothless as he watched the man fall asleep.

Suddenly, he felt the girl stir beneath his wing. Upon inspection, he saw that she was most definitely awake.

* * *

It was a while before consciousness claimed Sakura once more. The first thing she registered was the feeling of warmth. The next was a beating heart and deep, rhythmic breathing. Getting more orientated, her nose filled with a warm, smoky scent and something rough against her skin. Opening her eyes, blackness still consumed her.

But she didn't panic. She was never one to panic.

Then whatever was covering her moved, allowing some degree of light. Blinking rapidly, she looked around.

Great, acid eyes greeted her. Sakura let out a small squeak of surprise, jumping back a little. She was laying... on the dragon? Sure enough, she could feel scales on her bare skin.

"I didn't know you cared so much," she said, voice hoarse but not lacking in sarcasm.

Toothless gave a non-committal warble and lay his head on the cement.

Far too comfy to move, Sakura simply stay where she was. She was exhausted.

And she felt empty. Where magic had filled her with warmth and energy, there was now just... nothing. No electric crackle at her fingertips, no buzz at the back of her skull. Her being was completely devoid of magic. So this is what it was like to be human.

But she'd be damned if things were going to stay this way...

* * *

The Ross household was eerily quiet. Yami sat uneasily in an armchair, having just told Temp about Sakura and the dragon and just how much shit they were in.

Temp shook her head. "Gods... I knew she was up to something... but I never imagined it was this bad."

Yami nodded. "They mean business this time, Temperance. I had to Seal her Marks yesterday." His expression was dark.

She gasped, tears springing to her eyes. Quietly, she sobbed into her hands and curled up into herself. Yami silently remarked that her resemblance to her sister was uncanny. Hiccup sat on the couch beside her, still translucent, and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Isn't there something we can do?" he asked.

The half demon shook his head. "No. We have to wait it out while the Council oversees her case. She'll have to defend herself in their court, but she's smart; she'll get through it."

With a sigh, Hiccup looked at the floor, thinking. "Who ratted her out?" he asked.

Yami looked at the viking boy in surprise. "Well at first I thought that the council smelled a rat and sent Dmitri to go and investigate, but I found out yesterday that it was actually..." he paused and glanced furtively at Temp "... Artemis who ratted her out."

Her head shot up. "No. No, Art would never do such a thing!"

"You know how he feels about dark magic, Temp. Remember what happened to his uncle? I'm not surprised he did it. I know it was a horrible thing to do, but it may have been for Sakura's own good," finished Yami. He sat back and ran his hands through his hair, which hung uncharacteristically loose.

"So all we can do is wait..." trailed Hiccup, his hands threaded through his own hair.

"...and hope for the best," finished Temperance quietly.

* * *

A/N: Hoo boy, this one's a doozy! Lots of stuff going on. Yami finally makes his appearance!

For those of you wondering just how Sakura knows him: they have the same talent. They are both talented in combative magic (Yami gets it from his mother). Yami's about five hundred years old (give or take a decade), so he's had lots of time to learn and hone his skills. He's been with the Takahata family for quite a long time (owed a debt, yadda, yadda) and was called in to train Sakura. He's been with her since she was ten, and he's kind of like a brother/best friend to her. *takes a deep breath*

I'm still not sure if Sakura's growing on Toothless, or if he's just being selfish and protecting her for his own self-gain. I guess we'll see.

If you have any questions, I'll be happy to answer!

Review!

~Hanyou


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Are we really already at chapter nine? This MUST be a record for me. Once again, you guys are the best reviewers and readers a girl could ask for!

I only see about four chapters after this. _If_ I stretch this one out. Which I'm doing, because I know where I want to end this chapter and it's going to take some stretching. So, I'm sorry if this feels slightly filler-ish and odd.

Enjoy chapter nine!

Chapter 9

Neither girl nor beast moved for what seemed like an eternity. Toothless wanted to make sure that under any circumstances nothing happened to the girl. He _needed_ her. So she stayed, safe and warm, under his wing. In all seriousness, the girl wasn't all that big. She fit neatly into the empty space at his side when he curled up.

You know, she wasn't that bad when she wasn't, well, _talking_. In fact, by human standards, the girl was downright cute. Until she opened her mouth.

But he still didn't like her. Yes, he appreciated what she was doing for him, but she was just so... forceful about it. He never asked for her help. In fact, while this may give him the closure he hadn't gotten a thousand years ago, this may just cause more pain.

Three days. That's all that he was going to get. Three days and his Hiccup would be gone again, never to come back. Ever. Then what? He'd spend eternity a _little_ less miserable? True happiness would be lost to him forever.

But maybe it would be worth it...?

The dragon was pulled out of his thoughts by the girl moving. He lifted his wing as she sat up, careful of the shackles still around his legs. Almost silently, she stood and stretched, working out the kinks that had developed from sleeping on the unconventional mattress.

Plunking herself on the ground, she continued to stretch, touching her toes and stood up again, wandering around and stretching out her arms.

Toothless gave a small rumble, wondering what she was doing. She looked over at him, acknowledging that he was staring at her. He fixed her with a curious look. _What on Earth are you doing, human girl?_

"If you don't move around you get stiff," she said, reading his expression. "Trust me, I've been there. This isn't the first time I've been here."

The dragon threw her a look. She sighed. "It wasn't my fault, okay? And for your information, all charges were dropped," said the girl with a huff. She turned her back to him and he could see the angry-looking red welts left behind from her Marks. Standing up and working his own kinks out – as best he could in the tiny cell – he walked over to the girl.

And pressed his nose to her back. He figured that something cool may help relieve the swelling and redness of the lost Marks. His nose was definitely more sanitary than anything else in the cell.

* * *

Sakura gave a small start as she felt something cold being pressed to her back. _His nose is like ICE_, she thought as she registered just what had made contact.

But how had he known she was still in pain? The spots where her Marks formerly resided burned like hell.

_Gods_, did that nose ever feel good... It didn't cover all of them; in fact, it only covered about one and a half, but at least it was the worst of the four. Pain radiated across her shoulders from the second-most Mark, cooled by the dragon's nose.

The second Mark. It was gone.

The bond was broken.

She really hated to think about it, especially when she had bigger things to worry about but... it was strange. When her first two Marks came in, there had been a gap between them. Highly unusual, but no one really thought anything of it.

Until the day she became soul-bound to a boy named Raphael. The new Mark fit neatly in between the two previously existing ones. "Destined!" people had exclaimed. Really? Had that been the case?

He had been dying. That was her only option to save her friend, to become soul-bound. He'd needed a Keeper anyways, so she figured she was killing two birds with one stone – for lack of a better metaphor.

But now, she wasn't so sure she made the right choice. He'd run off a month after it had happened. Of course Sakura had pushed him to go; he'd deserved to go home to see his father. That didn't mean he could ignore her for four months.

If she were to ever get her Marks back – and she was, dammit – Sakura wasn't sure she really even _wanted_ that second, key-shaped Mark back...

* * *

_Keepers are just as rare as the beings they're bound to, if not more so. _

_To understand what a Keeper is, you must first know a bit about just what it is what they're Keeping. _

_Shape shifters. We've all heard of them. Kind of a broad topic, ranging from vampires to werewolves, from pixies to trolls. But the shape shifters we're talking about now are a being all on their own. They have the ability to alter anything about their appearance at will, changing into anything they want._

_They are also thought to be abominations. The unholy offspring of female elf and a male Mage, they are seen to defy most laws of nature, as well as several elfin laws. Shape shifters are HIGHLY unstable. For the first twenty years of their life, they are able to keep their forms stable and control their shifting. By the time they reach twenty-five, if they do not have a Keeper, they almost always die. _

_So what does a Keeper do? They essentially stabilize their shifter by "anchoring" their form. By becoming soul-bound, a Keeper provides a returning point for the shifter's magic, like a record, as well as keep them from shifting involuntarily. To become a Keeper, an oath is give by the Keeper-to-be to their Shifter and is sealed by trading blood in some manner. _

_Becoming a Keeper is quite painful, and unbecoming one even more so. Though, going back on the oath taken at the time of bonding or having the resulting Mark removed is highly inadvisable unless the Shifter in question is under twenty. _

_

* * *

_

The hours passed slowly for the two. Toothless only wandered as much as the shackles and chains would allow him to – which wasn't very far. What he wouldn't give to run outside! The cell was so small that he couldn't extend both wings at the same time. The bindings on both his head and legs were starting to rub at his scales, becoming highly uncomfortable.

The girl had taken to pacing. Back and forth, back and forth. She seemed to lack the ability to sit still for any extended period of time without a book present.

Finally, she sat down, seemingly tired of walking from one end of the cell to the other repeatedly. She landed with a soft _whump_ on the floor. With a sigh, she flopped back onto the ground, only to let out a hiss of pain and shoot back up, a string of swears muttered under her breath.

Toothless gave a snort. The only time this girl was quiet and still was when she was sleeping. And even that was debatable.

Suddenly, the smell of bread and meat met his nose. Looking up, he could see that the guard had pulled out a sandwich. The guard looked at it momentarily and then at the cell. An unreadable smile crept across his face. Wondering just what the guard was looking at, Toothless swivelled his head around, following his line of vision.

The girl was watching the guard. Or rather, his sandwich.

When was the last time they had eaten? At least two days had gone by since their arrival, the dragon estimated, and not one scrap of food had been thrown their way. He didn't much mind; he could go a few days without terrible hunger pains. The girl on the other hand looked about ready to chew her own foot off.

"Hey girly," said the guard suddenly, his voice echoing softly off the walls of the small area.

The girl's eyes narrowed.

"You look hungry," he stated. "I could give you my sandwich."

Her expression didn't change.

"For a price." The guard's eyes were dark.

"What do you mean?" asked the girl.

The guard approached the bars of the cell and crouched at eye level with the girl sitting on the floor. "I think you know what I mean, hon. I've been stuck underground for the past month, and haven't seen a woman in twice that. At least let me touch you..."

Toothless' eyes widened as soon as he understood what the guard was implying. In a quick movement, he extended his wing, obscuring the girl, and bared his teeth with a low growl. _Disgusting human._

The girl pushed gently at his wing. "Stop, Toothless," she said quietly. He lowered his wing and fixed her with an incredulous look. She had fixed the guard with an unreadable stare. Approaching the guard, she knelt down on the ground just opposite him. _The human girl... is going to let him have his way with her? Unbelievable. _The dragon really thought she had more self-respect than that.

She reached through the bars, moving so as to caress his face as he drew nearer. A coy smile worked its way onto her face as she trailed her hand down the side of his face, down his neck before...

Grabbing his shirt collar abruptly, pulling hard and smashing his head against the bars. His eyes unfocused and he slumped to the ground, dropping the sandwich. The girl picked it up and dusted it off. "Ten second rule," she muttered before biting into it happily.

Toothless had to admit, he was mildly impressed.

* * *

It was a mighty good sandwich, Sakura thought as she worked her way through it.

She was about half ways done when Yami walked in. He quickly observed the scene and groaned.

"What did you do, Sakura? He's out cold!" He crouched by the guard.

Sakura shrugged. "Doesn't matter. I got myself a sandwich out of it." She chomped on the sandwich once more. Yami frowned.

"Do I even want to know how you got him over here?" he asked as he picked up the guard and set him in the chair. Sakura shrugged as she polished off the sandwich.

"Look, I was hungry and he was offering," she stated simply.

"That doesn't explain why he's out cold," muttered Yami. He knew that this could go on forever, and gave up. "That aside, you two need to come with me. Your case is up for trial. Toothless will be right next to you the entire time that you are pleading your case."

Sakura nodded. She could work with that. Suddenly, she stood up and turned her back to Yami, pulling out the book still strapped to her middle. Moving carefully over to Toothless, she slipped it under the collar he now wore.

Yami frowned. "What's that?"

"My evidence," she replied. "It's my last resort to getting out of here."

His brows knitted together before he sighed and rubbed his forehead. He had learned long ago that not to question the girl's motives. "What ever you have planned, it better not get you in more trouble."

She smiled impishly. "It shouldn't."

"Shouldn't? You have doubts?" He glanced at her incredulously.

"Don't worry, Yami! When have my plans not worked out?" she asked, grin spreading.

"Do you want me to answer that?" His tone was flat.

Sakura deflated. "No, I guess not."

Yami opened the bars swiftly and entered the cage, releasing the shackles around Toothless' ankles. "There's really no need for these. Really, the only thing we have to worry about is your fire..."

Toothless gave him a flat look. _"You think my only weapon is my fire?"_

"_It's the only one I can't defend myself against, and the only one we're not really prepared for. You could attempt to run, but Dmitri would overtake you again. And flying doesn't help you underground,"_ replied Yami.

"_I am unable to fly..."_ Toothless' response was quiet, ashamed. After all what was a dragon that could not fly?

He merely nodded. _"I see. Even more reason to remove these unnecessary bindings."_

Sakura heaved a sigh. "Feeling a little left out over here..."

With a silent nod, Yami led them out of the cell and down a dim hallway. Toothless followed behind the two humans.

Sakura saw as Yami glanced at her as she walked to his left. She knew he didn't like what was happening. Who would?

"You know, Sakura, you can't fix everyone," he said quietly, continuing before she could say anything. "Why do you do it? You've tried to fix me, you tried to fix Raphael; why?"

She sighed and looked at the ground. "Because... I know what it's like to be broken, to not be able to feel an end to the hell! I've been there. It's not a feeling I wish on anyone. All I want is for people around me not to suffer."

"But what if you can't fix Toothless?" he asked as they approached a pair of tall, heavy-looking doors.

Sakura stared straight ahead at the doors, determination written on her face. "Then I'll fail knowing that I gave it my all."

* * *

Temperance was livid. Riding a bike, it took fifteen minutes to get to the Flynn santuary, if you were going at a good pace.

She made it in ten. Hiccup trailed after her, easily floating along behind. He had tried to talk sense into the curly-haired girl, but nothing worked. She was past reason.

Letting the bike drop to the ground in the driveway just outside the house, Temp stormed around back, knowing that's _exactly_ where her target would be. A small enclosure of tiny serpent-like dragons was located there, his pride and joy.

Sure enough, there he was standing outside the small enclosure, looking in the glass.

"Hey, Artemis," she started, her words icy.

Before he had even turned around fully, her fist made contact with his face. Artemis stumbled to the ground, clutching his left cheek. "What the hell, Temp?"

"You know damn right 'what the hell'," she snapped. "You ratted Sakura out, didn't you?"

He didn't answer, avoiding eye-contact with the older girl.

"_Didn't you!_" she repeated, her voice twice its normal volume.

"I did it for her own good... she was doing black magic, Temp! I couldn't let her do it-"

_Smack!_ Her palm made contact with his other cheek. "So you decided to rat her out to the council! Art, she could be sentenced to _death!_ Or did you miss that part last year in Magic Law 101?"

Artemis had no answer. "They wouldn't do that... would they?" He hauled himself off the ground.

"Yes Art, they would! You know how they feel about practising black magic! She could be dead because you ratted her out!" Her voice was shrill, panicky. She hit him again. And again and again and again.

"Temp, _stop!_" Hiccup exclaimed, reaching out to grab Temp's shoulder. She swung around, the back of her hand headed right for his face.

It went right through. Both teens looked thoroughly shocked, Temp on the verge of tears. "I'm... I'm sorry..." she stuttered.

Hiccup shook his head. "Don't worry. No harm done, right? I guess there are some perks to being dead." He grinned his crooked grin, trying to reassure the girl. He didn't like seeing the two fight.

With a sigh, Temperance straightened up and shot one last glare back at Artemis. He sat on the ground, nursing a now bleeding lip. She turned her back on the boy, and walked back to her bike. Hiccup looked at Artemis, walking over to him.

"Look, I know your heart was in the right place," he started, crouching down in front of the dark-haired boy, "you meant well. But I think... this wasn't quite the right thing to do. I'm sure she'll come around eventually."

Artemis buried his face in his hands. "Yeah, but what if they sentence her to life in prison... or death..."

Hiccup was lost for words. "She seems smart. I'm sure she'll come out alright."

He nodded. "Yeah, but she'll never forgive me..."

"Never know if you don't try," replied the viking boy as he stood up and began to walk away. "Just have a little faith. Things will work out in the end; you'll see." He followed Temperance away from the house.

Artemis hung his head. "But things never work out for us... _ever._"

* * *

A/N: I. Hate. This. Chapter. I just... don't even _know_. I had no inspiration at all to write this. It was one of those "I know what to put at this part of the story, and this part, but not what to put in between" chapters. And that part about Keepers? It's really not relevant to the main plot, so if you can't make sense of it, don't worry.

The last part with Temp, Art and Hiccup has to be my favourite so far. A lot of you guys wanted Temp to exact some form of revenge against Artemis! So I wrote it. It was originally supposed to be just Temp and Art, but then I remembered this is FanFiction and I added Hiccup in there as a peacekeeper.

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed it a little! The good parts are close, I swear!

Review!

~Hanyou


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: Well! Chapter ten. How am I doing so far? Love it? Hate it? Love to hate it? Let me know!

Oh goody! I get to write the part I've wanted to write since I started! Yay!

Enjoy!

Chapter 10

Toothless could remember the first time he had entered Berk's gathering hall. The place was massive, cave-like, fit for vikings. There was more than enough room for any one of the dragons to fly in. It held the entire village. And then some.

It was when the chief had decided to let the dragons stay. The air had been thick and uneasy, both humans and dragons were afraid. The young humans stood next to their dragon companions, each hoping for the best. Only one dragon stood alone.

Toothless.

He had to admit, he had been scared. Scared that maybe, _just maybe,_ they might chase them off, making him leave his Hiccup forever. Not that he could. Not without his Hiccup.

That had possibly been one of the worst days of the dragon's life. His fate was out of his hands for just a few moments, and it scared him. His iron-clad control had slipped and he had no idea what was going to happen to him. They couldn't kill him. They couldn't chase him off the island. The hall scared him, and Toothless didn't like it.

The dragon relived those feelings once more as the demon before him swung open the great wooden doors.

It was huge. Stalactites hung from the ceiling, the tips ending a good hundred feet above their heads, casting eerie shadows above. Approaching the centre, the dragon looked back. A semi-circle of amphitheatre-style seating cascaded town towards them from at least fifty feet above. A low wall separated the area that they stood on from the seating. In front of them lay a raised platform with seven ornamental high-backed chairs, the centre-most one being taller than all the rest.

Before they could move much further, the girl had taken off without warning, heading to a small group located at the bottom of the seating just to their left. With a sigh, the half demon merely grabbed the dragon by the collar and led him to the centre.

"_You're not going after her?"_ he inquired as his chain was latched onto an iron hook embedded in the rock floor.

The demon shrugged. _"I'll give her a few minutes with her friends,"_ he responded.

* * *

The moment she saw her friends all rational thought left Sakura's mind. She took off at top speed, sprinting for her friends. Temperance met her with a frantic hug and joined by their brother Troy.

"Are you alright?" Temp asked, looking her sister over. "You look terrible."

Sakura snorted. "Jail does that to you. I'm fine, I guess. Hungry. Sore. Could be worse." She looked at Troy. "How long have I been in here?"

He thought momentarily, running his hand through his short black hair. "About four days. Yami came to us on the second day about your Marks."

Sakure sighed and looked over at the twins and Hiccup. A frown formed on her face. Why was Artemis sitting so far off...? Apollo refused to look at his brother, his eyes instead fixed sadly on Sakura. The young viking, however, was sitting a little closer. He shot her an uneasy smile. Artemis just hung his head. Peeling herself out of her siblings' arms, she moved to stand in front of the boy. Her frown only deepened when she saw the bruises on his face.

"Art, come here," she said softly. He got up gingerly and stood in front of her, the low wall separating them. "What happened? Did someone beat you up? If it was that kid from town, I swear I'll beat him up myself..." She placed a hand on his cheek, careful of the bruises.

He bit his lip. "I'm fine, really." Glancing at Yami across the platform, Artemis looked back down at Sakura. He took her hand and looked at her. He was going to do something crazy, and he had to do it now.

He kissed her. Openly and unabashedly kissed her with everyone in the expansive room watching as he did so.

It didn't last long. She pulled away from him slowly, her expression confused. "Art, not that I'm happy you did that, but is this really the right place? Everyone's kind of watching..." She looked at aforementioned people. Temp looked livid. Hiccup wore an astonished expression, his mouth slightly agape. Apollo and Troy wore identical dark yet indifferent expressions. "Why now, Art?|"

He grit his teeth. "Because you're going to hate me when this is all over and done with."

She frowned. "Why...?"

"Sakura!"

Yami was calling. She sighed and turned away from her friends, walking to the centre where Yami and Toothless stood. Sakura let Yami attach a shackle to her ankle. She looked around momentarily. The room had changed since her last visit. Before it had been well-lit and bright, the barren stone walls almost inviting and warm. Now it was downright scary. Dramatic shadows were thrown everywhere, from the seating to the platform she stood on. The stone now looked cold and unfriendly.

Darkness was everywhere.

"You're just a regular jack of all trades, aren't you, Yami?" she said mildly, recognizing the signs.

He laughed humorlessly. "Yes. That I am. I'm impressed you noticed."

"Kind of hard not to. I mean, I've known you for seven years _and_ you taught me everything I know." Sakura looked over at Toothless, who was shooting her a questioning look. "What is it?" she asked.

The dragon looked around, gesturing at the shadows. Sakura gave a small hum of acknowledgement. "You know how Yami is a half demon?" Toothless nodded. "Well, that half that's a demon is made of darkness. And that part allows him to... control the darkness around him."

"To some degree," prompted Yami. "I'm only half after all." The dragon nodded, understanding.

"So how many more are you other than Dmitri?" asked Sakura.

"I'm not allowed to tell you that," he replied simply as he stood up. "Now, I have to go." Placing a hand on her shoulder, Yami looked into Sakura's eyes. "I believe in you. You'll be alright."

Sakura nodded. "Alright. See ya..."

He walked back out the doors through which they had come in. Sakura sunk down to the ground beside Toothless. "So this is it, Toothless; do or die... for real."

* * *

Disgusting.

That was the only word that came to the dragon's mind as he watched the seating area slowly fill with chattering people. A thousand pairs of eyes bored into both of them. Watching. Scrutinizing. Judging.

They were on display. Wide open and vulnerable.

It was sick. Humans truly were vile creatures, putting their own on display like this. Toothless had seen it time and again, someone who has done wrong or is considered to be a _freak_ by the rest of society was put on display for others to laugh and poke fun at.

"I wish they'd stop _staring_..." the girl muttered into her knees. Toothless gave a sympathetic croon. He didn't like them either.

The stands had all but filled when the half demon strode in front of the large chairs. There was a collective shuffle as everyone immediately stood. Even the girl had gotten to her feet. The dragon snorted; he didn't need to follow their human customs. He remained lying on the ground. Everyone was silent; no one dared to speak.

The half demon looked around momentarily before started. "Ladies and gentlemen, I give you today's presiding council members." His voice was powerful, bounding off the walls and ceiling so that even the farthest people could hear him.

Three figures appeared by the three centre-most chairs, dressed in robes in a deep red with their hoods up.

"Penelope Campbell," he said as the figure on the dragon's right stood before her chair.

"Gabriel Moretti." The figure to the left of the centre-most chair moved in front of his chair.

"And head of the council, Leon Takahata," concluded the demon as the man moved in front of his chair. The demon bowed deeply to the three council members and backed away to a dark corner.

The girl smirked. "Not even a full trial," she muttered. "I'm lucky."

The three tipped back their hoods as they sat down. The man in the middle held up a hand. "You may be seated," he spoke evenly. There was another collective shuffle as everyone took their seats once more. He turned his eyes on the two before him. The girl met his gaze unflinchingly. He oozed authority. And why not? He led the most powerful wizards in North America.

"Do you, Sakura Prudence Ross deny the accusation made against you by one Artemis Nicholas Flynn?" enquired the man on the left. He had startlingly red hair pulled back in a short ponytail, and didn't quite have the same presence as the other man.

The girl twitched, her calm facade faltering momentarily. Her eyes flicked to their left, where her friends were seated. The dark-haired twin sunk in his seat as she glared at him for a split second. "No, council member Moretti, I do not."

"So then, Miss Ross, please tell us why we shouldn't lock you up for what you have done," said the woman. She had a sweet voice, one that should only be used for kind words and encouraging praise. Her face matched her voice. She didn't have nearly the same presence as the two men.

"Well, technically I haven't done anything yet, Madam Campbell," said the girl. "But I do have a good reason to attempt this spell."

"There is no 'good reason' to attempt black magic," said the man in the middle, his words forceful. "But please, do tell us your reasons, Miss Ross."

She scowled at the man. "I'm trying to help this dragon," said the girl as she gestured at Toothless.

"By raising the dead?" asked the red-headed man. He seemed somewhat incredulous.

"Yes, sir. I wish to bring back his rider temporarily. You see this beast is immortal-" she was cut off before she could continue.

"Immortal, huh? Why would an immortal dragon bond with a rider? He must be some kind of masochist to do such a thing," said the dark-haired man. Toothless growled low.

The girl laid a hand on his neck. "Hush, Toothless," she murmured. "Please, you have to understand the pain he's in..."

"He's a dragon!" the man exclaimed.

"A highly intellegent dragon! He has feelings, and right now all he feels is pain! I'm just trying to help!" She was pleading. The dragon wouldn't have been surprised if she didn't get on her knees soon...

The middle man opened his mouth to say something, only to be stopped by the woman. "Please, Sakura, is there any way that you can help us to understand what this beast is feeling?" She had a knowing look in her brown eyes.

The girl thought for a moment before her eyes fell on the cowering boy in the stands. Toothless could almost see the plan form in her head. However, she looked unsure. "Council members," she started, "I would like to request that Artemis Nicholas Flynn be allowed to help me plead my case."

The trio before them looked at each other in surprise. "Why would you want the one who accused you to come and help?" asked the red-headed man.

The girl smiled. "I have my reasons."

He sighed. "Very well. Artemis Flynn, you may join us."

All heads turned as the dark-haired boy made his way shyly towards them. He stood next to the girl, who looked at him darkly. "What do you need me for?" he asked timidly.

"You're going to use your power to get me out of here. It's the least you can do, since you're the reason I'm in here in the first place," she hissed.

He nodded. "You're lucky I brought my flute. I almost left it at home."

"Oh hush; I know you take that thing everywhere," she snapped back. "Now just play."

The dark-haired man cleared his throat. "Excuse me, but we're in the middle of a trial here and we don't have all day. Now, Miss Ross, could you explain why you have requested the presence of Master Flynn?"

"I believe you are familiar with the functionality of his powers," she said.

"Yes, Miss Ross, we are," said the woman.

The girl looked at Artemis, who stepped forward a fraction. "I wish to play for the council."

The man nodded and waved his hand. He did not seem to be in the mood for this. "Very well. Play away, Master Flynn."

The boy sat in front of Toothless and looked into his eyes. The dragon trusted the boy and allowed him to read his emotions like a book. Those people needed to understand his pain.

It was the same tune from before. The crowd went deathly silent as the boy played, listening intently. Even the council was enraptured, the boy and his flute holding their whole attention. The music flowed around the cavernous room, encircling everyone present.

These were the dragon's emotions being played out on the flute, depressing and sad. The boy stared steadily into his eyes and the music became more powerful, changing the tune slightly. It was more... hopeful, yet still remained sad.

As the boy finished, there was nothing but silence to be heard. No one made a move or a peep, not wanting to disturb the affect of the song.

The man in the middle frowned. "Show me your marks, Master Flynn."

Glancing at the girl, the boy's mouth flapped uselessly, unsure of what to say.

"Just do it, Art," she said steadily.

"But there's so many people," he hissed.

"They're too far off; they won't see," she countered as he stood up.

Silently, he unzipped his hoodie, throwing it to the ground. Pulling off his shirt, he turned his back to the council, facing the dragon.

Toothless was surprised by the boy's scars. Several of the pale, thin lines marred his torso. But it was the one above his heart that shocked the dragon. That was a lethal wound, or at least it should have been.

The man on the left nodded simply. "Thank you, Artemis; you may put your shirt back on."

He obliged hastily, his face a bright pink.

"So you proved that the dragon is sad," said the head of the council. "That still does not justify doing black magic."

The girl moved towards Toothless and removed the book from his collar. "I was hoping it wouldn't come to this..." she muttered, turning back to the council. "You say I should be locked up for attempting this spell. What about it's creators?" She tossed the book at the feet of the dark-haired man.

He picked it up and frowned deeply. "Where'd you get this?" he asked quietly.

"Picked it up from a street vendor while I was getting a book for Troy. It was in a pile of other spell books. Got it for five bucks. You really ought to keep your dirty laundry hidden, council member _Takahata_," she spat.

He stared at the book for a moment more. "Miss Ross, this book is the very reason I outlawed black magic in the first place."

"So you could cover up your mistake?" she demanded.

His temper flared. "I will ask the questions here, young lady! What I did in my past is no business of yours!"

"Yes, but it is in the best interest of those you lead," she said smugly. "High Council Member Leon Takahata used to practice black magic. Who knew?" She shrugged.

He scowled. "I had a good reason-"

"'There is no good reason for practicing black magic'," the girl quoted perfectly. "Or does that not apply to you?"

Taking a deep breath, he calmed himself a little. He looked down at the girl, the boy and the dragon, thinking. The girl had successfully black-mailed one of the most powerful wizards of their time. She took a wobbly step forward. "Please, Dad..." she murmured so that only the council could hear.

He sighed. "Give me half an hour to deliberate with members Moretti and Campbell. This hearing is in reccess!" He got up abruptly and retreated into the darkness behind them, the other two not far behind.

Toothless let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding.

That half hour would seem like an eternity...

* * *

A/N: So, show of hands, who saw that coming? All of you? Damn.

Hope you enjoyed it! Because I stayed up _late_ to get this out to you!

And did you guys know that the line-breaks add 50 words each to your word count? I uploaded this with 2,888 then added the linebreaks and came out with 3,038 before this note. Weird!

**Review!**

~Hanyou


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: Ohmigosh, you guys must hate me! I'm really truly sorry. Life has just been getting in the way of my writing, between school (which ended a month ago), family stuff, my basement flooding, and preping for a convention in three days, I just haven't found a spare moment nor the inspiration to write.

So here's chapter eleven! We're nearly done! Hope you enjoy and I haven't lost all of you over the past two months.

Enjoy! And please review.

Chapter 11

Waiting is a terrible thing.

This was not the type of waiting one experiences whilst expecting a fresh cod or a mid-afternoon flight. No, this was a horrible, agonizing kind of waiting. The kind that only occurs when a life and death decision is being made, when someone's life is on the line.

And there's a very good chance that they may not come out of it alive.

Toothless lay quietly beside the human girl as they awaited the verdict of the council. No one had moved. Small murmurs of conversation floated down to the small group in the centre, but the three stayed deathly silent. The girl had sat on the ground, her face buried in her knees. Toothless had curled around her as the boy tried to approach, growling low in his chest.

_You've hurt her enough today. Go away._

"Sakura?" he tried, speaking quietly. Toothless continued to growl, even going so far as to bare his teeth. He couldn't bite the boy, but the threat was there.

"What do you want, Artemis?" the girl snapped. She glared coldly at the boy.

He flinched. "What... what do you want me to do now?"

"Just go away. Please." Her voice was quiet as she buried her face in her knees once again. The dragon curled closer to her, pushing the boy away with his tail and a cold look. The boy stumbled momentarily before catching himself, turning around and heading back to the seating and jumping over the low wall.

"I wish they'd stop staring..." she murmured, glaring at the audience. "Two faced bastards. All of them. They can all burn in hell. They all but loved me a week ago. And now – ha! They think I'm evil for doing this. Wonder if that's a step up from crazy?" Sarcasm dripped off her words as she laid a hand on the dragon's head. "They won't kill me, Toothless. My dad doesn't have it in him. Life sentences are his thing. But he's soft. He won't do that to me. But I have a feeling I won't get off easy..."

The knot in his stomach didn't unclench. He believed her, yes, but just because they let her live didn't mean that they would let her perform the spell. They could do any number of things to her other than sentence her to death. Exile, for one, was a very real possibility. Perhaps they may even seal away her magic permanently. Prison time was also highly likely.

Each one did not allow her to do the spell, which in and of itself was devastating enough for Toothless. He had been such a fool to get his hopes up like this. There was no way this could work out. Not if the gods had any say in it.

For the second time in his life, the dragon found himself wishing he was human. If he was, he wouldn't be here _right now_. He would have died and joined his Hiccup in the afterlife. Or maybe he wouldn't have died; perhaps he would still be immortal, still be a tool for the gods to use at Ragnarok.

At the very least he would be able to _see_ Hiccup. Flying be damned; even to just see his face, hear his voice, _that_ would be enough. But unfortunately, dragons couldn't see ghosts.

But dragons _could _sense them. Hiccup was _here, _in the room. And he couldn't see him. The very thought made the dragon angry. Everyone else could see him! As far as most of the people in stands were probably concerned, he was perfectly alive, human, _there_.

The dragon's eyes fell on an empty space between the dark haired boy – Artemis, his conscience whispered – and his blonde brother.

Hiccup was there. And everyone could see him except Toothless.

* * *

Beryl eyes bored into Hiccup, acknowledging but not quite seeing. It broke his heart to see Toothless like this. He knew the dragon couldn't see him, but he still wanted to go and comfort him, tell him it would all work out. What was holding him back, anyways? He was a ghost right? Not _everyone _could see him. Right?

Hiccup made to stand up, to go and comfort his best friend. After all, how long had it been since he'd seen the dragon last? Three hundred years _at least_. Three hundred years since Toothless had been taken away from their home. Even longer since he'd actually been able to reach the dragon.

Beside him, Artemis shook his head. "If you're planning on going up there, I wouldn't recommend it," he mumbled glumly.

The Viking frowned. "Why not?"

"Because everyone in this room can see you, of course. Unless you _want_ to get sent to Hel the hard way," the dark haired boy responded, watching as Hiccup flopped back into his seat.

"They can do that?" he asked in mild horror.

Artemis shrugged. "I think so. I've heard rumours. Besides, Toothless can't see you. You know that."

With a sigh, Hiccup kneaded at his forehead with the heels of his palms. "This is so messed up..."

With a nod, Artemis agreed. "Completely. I never should have opened my mouth... I just... ugh."

"You meant well, though. You just... did something stupid, thinking it would work out. Only it didn't work out so well," said the Viking. "I think she'll be fine though."

"You think?" Artemis gave him a hopeful glance.

"For sure! I mean, anything's possible, right?" He flashed a lopsided grin.

A silence fell between the two as they watched their friends in the middle. From where they sat, Sakura was completely obscured by the dragon, who watched them back. What Hiccup wouldn't give to comfort him. But he couldn't. He lacked something quite important.

A body. But, if this spell worked, he was supposed to get one.

The idea was positively mad. But at the same time, it made sense. A body made from Mother Earth, which is where bodies come from and go back to, animated by an already existing soul. It sounded simple enough.

Obviously it wasn't, because they were in _court_ waiting for a verdict on the spell. Something about it included dark magic. But what?

"What's so bad about this spell, anyways?" he asked out loud.

Artemis looked at him. "It's dark magic, Hiccup."

"I know that. But what part of it is dark? I mean, the idea itself is simple..." His thirst for knowledge was getting the better of him, as it often did.

The other boy thought for a moment. "Well, the energy required to get the spell going comes straight from the person casting it. It would take a few days, maybe even weeks, off of her life. It's potentially lethal. Not to mention that raising the dead, in any way, shape or form, is highly illegal. It wasn't until about ten years ago, but that changed when Leon came to be the head of the council."

"What's his problem with that? If someone wants to risk their life, that's their problem," said Hiccup, matter-of-factly.

"Well, I think it was more of a personal thing of his," responded Artemis. "A friend of his was killed trying to bring back his wife, using this spell. Leon actually _created_ this spell himself, along with Gabriel, to help out their friend. But it didn't end well at all..."

"So this could potentially kill her?" Hiccup felt a wave of panic wash over him. He wouldn't be able to live – for lack of a better term – with himself if that happened.

Artemis nodded. "Pretty much. That was the only time it failed though, according to the book. But there's always that risk..."

Apollo swivelled his head around to look at the pair. "You're forgetting that this is _Sakura_ we're talking about. The girl's got some serious magical oomf. She can do it. I know she can. Don't you worry Hiccup; you'll be in the air on Toothless by the weekend. Just you wait." He flashed a toothy grin at the translucent boy, who returned the gesture uneasily.

He hoped that Apollo was right.

* * *

The wait was excruciating. To start with, Sakura was _not_ a patient person, so being cold, hungry and exhausted really did not help her patience much.

The swish of the council members' cloaks was music to her ears, as was the silence that followed not long afterwords.

Leon sat in his chair, looking much older and worn than before. The crowd dared not utter a word as he opened his mouth to speak. "After much deliberation, we the council see it fit that Sakura Ross be allowed to perform this spell."

The crowd roared, discontent evident among the masses. Leon held up a hand, shushing them. "She has made the alterations necessary to make this spell no longer fall under "Black Magic." I see her reasons as just and fair. This does not mean that she will not get off without punishment. She will serve five-hundred hours of community service, and someone must supervise the ritual. I believe that is fair. Sakura, what do you have to say?"

The girl blinked for a moment, willing her brain to kick back in. Had she heard him right? Only five hundred hours? That could be done easily. "Uh, I think I can live with that," she said quietly.

Her father nodded, a trace of a smile on his face. "Then you are free to go. Yami will handle you from here."

Normally she might have bristled at the term "handle" but she was so excited, she could barely speak. Turning to Toothless, she threw her arms around his maw as he gave a happy rumble.

He was excited too. Just that fact alone was enough to make her laugh hysterically out of joy. "I did it, _we_ did it, Toothless! You're going to see Hiccup again!" Another happy rumble.

Yami approached from seemingly nowhere and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Come on; let's get you out of here."

Glancing at the dragon, they both nodded. "Yeah. That sounds good."

* * *

The Flynn sanctuary was a welcome sight for Toothless. For him, it meant freedom and a very real possibility for happiness. The mid-afternoon sun was warm and bright with hardly a cloud in the sky, setting a cheery backdrop for their arrival.

But there was no rest for the wicked. They weren't back five minutes and the girl was already in Toothless' enclosure and hauling out the circle. Her magic had been restored – once again the dark man's handiwork – and she was itching to finish. However, her exhaustion got the better of her and she ultimately ended up snoozing under the dragon's tree. The thought of waking her crossed Toothless' mind, but he thought better of it. The girl needed sleep if she was to be of any use.

Dark had fallen before the dark-haired boy came looking. Looking somewhat frantic, he breathed a sigh of relief and crouched down next to her. Toothless shook his head at the human boy. There was no need to worry.

The girl stirred as the boy approached. "Art," she mumbled sleepily, "what's up? Something wrong?" In her sleep-induced haze, she seemed to have forgotten her qualms with the boy, and fixed him with a loving look.

"We were just wondering where you had gotten off to, is all. I guess you're fine, so I'll just leave now..." He turned to leave, but the girl caught up to him and grabbed his arm before he could get to far.

She sighed. "Look. I need your help for something." The boy looked at her cautiously through black bangs. "Come on, be my guinea pig?" She asked.

"Should I be worried?" he asked.

The girl shrugged. "Not really."

Toothless didn't really think much of just why this girl needed a guinea pig, – the boy didn't resemble one in the slightest – but when the girl started to move towards him, he felt his stomach drop. There was no why he'd be part of this girl's experiments! Frightfully, he began to shuffle backwards.

"Hey, Toothless, calm down! It won't hurt, I swear. Now come back here," she spoke calmly. He snorted and shook his head.

"_And why should I believe you? How am I supposed to know? I know you can't kill me, but severe physical damage is indeed possible-"_

Getting closer, she bopped him on the nose. "Oh hush, you big baby."

Without a moments' hesitation, she placed her thumb between his eyes, doing the same thing on the boy. She had to reach up quite a bit farther for the dragon's nose as it was eye-level with her. Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes and slowly exhaled. There was a small tingle that spread from her thumb and seemed to penetrate his very brain, causing him to shiver from head to tail.

"_What was that for?"_ Toothless asked, tensing.

The boy's resounding gasp was enough of an answer. "Sakura... did he... did _Toohless_ just talk?"

She shrugged. "In a manner of speaking," she said nonchalantly. "He's not talking so much as thinking. Dragons _do_ communicate verbally, but it's quite a bit less complex than this way of communication. Normally it's only the older dragons, or dragons who have lived together for long periods of time that talk like this."

His mouth flapped uselessly as Toothless nodded. The dragon had to admit, he was impressed with the girl's knowledge.

"I had no idea... Sakura do you realize the things you could do with this talent? _And the ablity to pass it on?_ Vets everywhere and sanctuary owners would pay through the _nose_!"

The girl shrugged. "It's not a big deal. I do it between people all the time. Like with Temp and Hiccup. I've never tried between humans and animals though. But still. Not a big deal. And besides, it's only temporary. It'll wear off in about a week, unlike the human spell that's permanent until removed. And the only dragon you can "talk" to is Toothless. He's a little different than the other dragons." She patted him on the nose as he puffed up a little with pride.

"_Well at least I can converse with someone intelligent now..."_ He joked.

"Hey!" She exclaimed. "That's not funny." She whacked him on the nose again. "Anyways, I'm turning in. Night, Toothless."

"You're staying here tonight are you?" asked the boy as he stepped forward to pet the dragon's nose.

"Well yeah," she responded. "I don't much like the idea of walking all the way back home tonight. You know what that road is like." She continued on her path to the house.

After one last pat on the nose, the boy followed suit, leaving Toothless in peace.

_Tomorrow,_ thought the dragon. _Tomorrow..._

* * *

After a restless night's sleep on an air matress on Apollo's floor (they wouldn't let her sleep on the couch) Sakura was awake and ready to go. Waking Apollo after she ate, she dragged her groggy friend out to the forge. Hiccup tagged merrily behind.

"What are we doing that could possibly require me to be up this early?" he whined as Sakura pushed the key into the padlock on the back door. Apollo's hair was unkempt and his hoodie was wrinkled.

"You're going to partake in a little project, and Hiccup here is going to help you," she stated after opening the door.

It was a small forge, used mostly for small repairs on saddles and various other equipment. While magic could fix certain things, nothing worked better than a good old forge. And old it was. Almost two-hundred years old, in fact. On rare occasions it would be used for making full saddles, which was the twins' father's favourite pastime.

The blonde regarded Hiccup tiredly. "How's a ghost going to help me in here? And what are we making, anyways?"

Sakura appraoched the drawing board gleefully and spread some paper out over it. "You and Hiccup here are going to be making a saddle for Toothless."

"But he can't fly," protested Apollo. "What good is a saddle?" He paused for a moment. "Unless... we're going to make him a prosthetic, aren't we?" He looked suddenly excited.

Hiccup nodded enthusiastically as he approached the drawing board. "I can't make the whole thing while I'm... like this, but together I think we can pull this off."

Apollo grinned widely. "This is going to be the best saddle ever made."

Leaving them to do their thing, Sakura made a swift exit and headed for Toothless' enclosure, stopping on her way there to grab his breakfast. The dragon was still asleep under his tree, but lifted his head as she opened the door. She smiled happily as she walked over and presented the fish.

"_You excited for today?"_ she asked as she pulled out the tarp.

The dragon glanced at her for a moment. _"Maybe a little,"_ he said before returning to his fish.

Sakura rolled her eyes. _The stupid dragon is hiding it,_ she thought_. If he wasn't excited, I'd be more than a little concerned._

She worked in silence for the entire morning and into the afternoon, pausing only to eat lunch when Artemis brought it out to her. He hung around for a while as she inhaled her tuna sandwich.

"You remembered the pickles," she noted aloud.

"Bread and butter pickles, as always. How could I forget? You ate this all the time when we were kids," he replied.

A small silence passed as the two watched Toothless gulp down his own fish.

"Are you sure this is still such a good idea?" Artemis asked quietly.

"You're not going to stop me, if that's what you're getting at. I want to help them and I'm going to do it," she stated, polishing off the first half.

"But how's this going to help them exactly? You may be able to bring Hiccup back for three days, but what about Toothless? He's still going to live until the end of the Earth. It was decreed by -"

"By Thor, I know. He is to stay on in Midgard until Ragnarok comes and fight alongside those in Valhalla," Sakura interrupted. "I know this. But at least I'm bringing him some happiness, Artemis."

"But did you ever stop to think that he might just end up more miserable?" he questioned. "Maybe you're just making things worse..."

Sakura sighed and stared down at what was left of her sandwich. "I've got a good feeling about this. This is going to work out, I can feel it."

With a shake of his head, Artemis replied, "I really don't see how, but alright. I'll trust you."

"Good, because I need you to do something for me," she said abruptly.

"And what would that be?" he asked, his tone flat.

"I'm going to need a storm. Or a bolt of lightning, to be exact. I figure that would be easier than sucking energy out of the Earth's crust," she stated.

With a sigh, he nodded his head. "What would you do if I wasn't able to conjure up storms? Or make you sandwiches? Honestly, some days I think you'd be totally lost without me," he said with a small smile.

She punched him lightly in the arm. "Will you do it or not?"

He planted a small kiss on the top of her head, smiling at the bright blush that had spread across her face. "Of course. Apollo will probably have to help, though."

Sakura shrugged. "Sure. Not a problem."

A few minutes later, Artemis left, leaving Sakura to finish the circle.

* * *

It was done. Finally, after week upon week of painstaking research and planning and every obstacle possible, it was done. The black tarp was spread out in the middle of a wide, empty field that was normally used for training younger dragons. Darkness had fallen and clouds had gathered. A full moon managed to peak out between clouds every so often, shedding light on the surrounding mountains.

Sakura looked around critically, Toothless at her side. Both peered up at the moon as a cluster of clouds moved to give them a clear view. She inhaled deeply as she closed her eyes. "That," she said, "is some awesome power."

Toothless fixed her with a questioning look. _"What are you talking about"_

"_Wizards draw their power from the heavenly body that they were born under. I was born under the moon. Also, my power is strongest on a full moon, so I guess it was a good thing we were set back a few days," _she said thoughtfully as she sat cross-legged in the centre of the circle.

"_How... fortuitous,"_ Toothless replied as he settled down on the ground. He gazed at the moon for a moment. Sakura watched out of the corner of her eye.

"_Soon, Toothless,"_ she murmured as her eyes slipped shut.

"_Yes. Soon..."_

* * *

AN: This is not good enough for a two-month wait. Please forgive me...

Review? Maybe?

~Hanyou


End file.
